Tearoom
by Miharu is Harukas Love Child 2
Summary: Speaking into the microphone, he threw his head back and slid his fingers through some slightly tousled blond strands, "I'm going to do what I do every time I walk in a room. I'm going to make everyone hot and bothered." Near sorta plays match maker here to help Mello fall in love with Matt. College AU. Fluff and Drama. MattXMello. Also includes lots of other canon characters.
1. Prologue: Rush Week (Matt POV)

Tearoom by Miharu is Haruka's Love Child

Prologue: Rush Week (Matt POV)

A/N: THIS IS NOT A PLAGIARIZED STORY. I am the original author Miharu is Haruka's Love Child. See my profile for details.

Original A/N: Hey guys! I got this idea when reading UCLA's LGBT community newspaper called "Out Write." I know, great name eh? Anyways, I wanted to take a break from studying for my evil finals, so this was the result. Living in a Fantasy said we don't have enough fluff stories out right now, so here's my attempt at adding to the numbers, K? It will be a combination of fluff and general Crack!humor

This story is dedicated to all the bored authors out there with writer's block.

Don't own Death Note. Or Pat Benatar. Or Star Trek. Or "His Noodleness" (LOL). Or, oh you get the idea.

Never actually been to a tearoom (hello, I'm a girl).

**Btw, a tearoom is a men's bathroom used for homosexual activities.**

No real names of fraternities/sororities are used in this fic. Oh and usually, orientation, zero week, rush week, and movie-in week AREN'T the same week at all…but oh well…makes it more fun this way. :D

Obligatory Music Selection: "Maniac" by Michael Sembello

* * *

I took a quick look at the survey the Orientation Counselor had passed. It was all generics, so I filled it out as quickly as possible.

_Name_: Mail Jeevas

_Major_: Computer Sciences and Engineering

_Year_: Freshman

_Was this institution your first choice? If not, please state why_: Declined to state

_Interested in Community Service?_ Uh, hell no.

_Are you now or were you ever a Veteran?_ What the fuck? Who the hell makes these questions?

The overly excited O.C. handed us some schedules that I glanced at before tuning her out completely…She was babbling something about school pride. I didn't catch much until I felt a dozen pairs of eyes on me. She pointed to a sign that read "No smoking within 20 ft of this sign." Damn this was going to be a long day indeed…

Alright...so I glanced at the damn schedule they handed us.

Zero Week Freshman Activities- Day 1

8AM: Arrival and Orientation speech with counselors

10AM-12 PM: Registration and Commencement

12PM: LUNCH

1:30-3 PM: Club Rush Fair

5-10 PM: Move-in, Dinner, Activities

10PM-1AM: Special Guest Presentation

* * *

**Table 1, 1:41 PM, Info Desk for Chi Zeta Rho (A social fraternity…a little too social)**

"Hi. I'm looking for the ga—"

"Are you a virgin?"

I simply stared at the boy in front of me, "Excuse me?"

"They won't let you in if you're still a virgin." He looked back down at his paperwork, stapling a few packets together.

I gaped at him. Well yeah, I am a virgin, but who the hell did this guy think he was to ask so bluntly? And what kind of greeting was that anyways? Wasn't he supposed to be recruiting people?

He handed me the packet, "Our frat house in on the end of Weston Lane, you can't miss it. Be sure to pop a few cherries before you drop by. Next."

Most awkward 3 minutes. _Ever._

**Table 14, 2:11 PM, Recruitment Desk for Grace 2 U Campus Choir (or some crap like that)**

"I bet you have a great singing voice!" squeaked the little brunette behind her 3-inch thick glasses.

I didn't even look twice before I said, "Sorry, not interested. I'm looking for the gaming club is it around—"

She pushed some pamphlets at me.

"Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster," I said, throwing her the Vulcan salute," Umn, actually, I'm just looking for—"

"We go on retreats and sing to raise money to send Christmas presents to little orphans in Paraguay."

I frowned, CFSM usually gets them. Persistent little mouse, eh?

"Listen, honey, unless you wanna hear my personal rendition of 'Hell is for Children', save your goodie-two shoes shit for someone who gives a fuck. Now, where're the gaming clubs?"

With wide eyes she pointed far across the soccer stadium to the edge, past the LGBT club who was giving out free condoms and anti-AIDS pamphlets. I smiled and walked in that direction. But in an entire field full of clubs and organizations, half an hour of walking still wouldn't have gotten me to my destination.

**Table 49, Student Services Association, Delta Justice (the 12th Greek Organization I'd passed today)**

It wasn't like the place was so damn big that I couldn't find my way around, but yeah, I'd gotten lost again. But eh, I'm a Freshman, so shove it. There was another Greek organization to my left. The little albino kid at the table seemed safe to ask directions from, so I ventured to stop. That's when I noticed what he had in his hands.

"Omygod! I thought they discontinued the Nobel models! Where did you get that Gundam?" I indicated the distinctly female robot figure in his fingers.

The dude looked up at me with blank eyes and seemed about to answer when a voice came from behind me.

"Nate! What are you doing manning our booth? No one's going to want to join if you're on recruitment duty. Where the hell is Light? I need to ask him if the preparations are all ready for my performance tonight."

I turned around and found myself facing a rather prissy-looking hippie. Giant psychedelic sunglasses covered the majority of his blond head. And _oh my mushrooms_, he was wearing purple skinny jeans! I had to bite rather hard not to burst out laughing.

"Light and L are working on the preparations, Mihael," said the slightly annoyed guy who was apparently Nate. " I believe as Vice-president I am quite qualified for this task."

"Co Vice-pres, dumbass." Corrected the walking rainbow, "Don't think for one minute our shared title makes you any better than me. And you, goggles, what's that smirk for?"

"Nu…Nuthin'" I said, in a failed attempt to sound innocent. "I've just never seen anyone advertise their homosexuality so…openly." I indicated the rainbow set of bangles hanging from both his arms

"Oh, you wish you could fuck this." he purred, removing the sunglasses to reveal a rather stunning set of blue eyes. " Sorry to disappoint you though, I'm not gay."

What the fuck? Saying this guy wasn't gay was like saying George Bush Jr. was a good President, or that Gary Coleman's life didn't suck. Who was he trying to fool? He was a walking rainbow.

"Well, Nate, just don't screw up too bad or L will be pissed. I'm off to find Light. Later bitches."

Well, he was a character, that's for sure.

"So was he like on his period or something?"

"Oh, Mihael's always like that before a show. You see, we're doing the special presentation for all the freshman tonight and he has a rather big part to play."

"I see…so what exactly does this whole 'student services' thing entail? That's a pretty vague calling for a fraternity." I shrugged at Nate.

"Delta Justice is a network of students devoted to improving the quality of campus life. We organize a lot of the social activities as well as manage the largest tearoom on campus."

"Tearoom?" I raised an eyebrow. "What? You guys sit around tables sipping Earl Grey with your pinkies in the air and knitting doilies?"

He actually laughed at that, which to be honest, it hadn't looked like the little guy had it in him to smile, much less laugh.

"Here," he said, scribbling something on a paper and handing it to me, "is the location. I won't tell you what goes on there, but let's just say it's an integral part of the college experience. We won't be operational for about two weeks, but make sure you stop by soon."

A little confused I pocketed the paper. This school is weird I swear…

**12: 30 AM, Auditorium**

"All right, wow, wasn't that just great guys. Let's give them a big hand, everyone. It takes some real talent to make condom jewelry!" said the counselor who I think was named Roy, "Now I'd like you all to give it up for Delta Justice, our Student Services Fraternity. They have a rather special presentation for all of you."

I was already expecting Mihael to walk onto the stage. What was utterly surprising, however, was that he'd replaced his rainbow with black leather. Skin tight leather. On Every inch of him. It hid none of his perfectly sculpted physic. Several girls squealed at the sight…which, yeah, when added to way he cat walked, it was downright hot.

The dude with the microphone, Roy or whatever, smiled and turned to the leather-clad blond, pointing the microphone towards him. "And what will you be doing for us tonight, Mihael Keehl?"

He threw his head back and slid his fingers through some slightly tousled blond strands, "I'm going to do what I do every time I walk in a room. I'm going to make everyone hot and bothered."

With the snap of his fingers, Michael Sembello began to play from the speakers. And Mihael began to dance. _Maniac_ was the exact appropriate song for this guy—he owned it. His body was simply fluid and in perfect sync to the rhythm. I was watching in rapt attention, just like everyone else. Mihael, however, didn't seem to think he'd excited the audience enough, because he abruptly stopped.

Everyone was a little confused, until he reached at the zipper on his vest. His tugged agonizingly slow. Then he let it slip right off his arms, revealing his perfect abs. He continued dancing, more frantic than his earlier fluidity, but damn. Simply damn. He began to touch himself rather inappropriately, causing more squeals from the girls in the audience. I was growing rather uncomfortable with how much I was enjoying the display.

I couldn't be the only guy who went hard when his fingers slid to the lacings on his crotch.

He turned around, giving us a perfect view of his ass as he undid his pants. Someone from offstage threw a top hat towards him and he caught it in his left hand as he swirled around to greet us. I held my breath when he slid the hat over his crotch and slowly kicked the pants down…sooo wasn't helping the tent in my jeans…

When the black fabric was resting on his ankles, he reached down with one hand to yank them off completely, and still swaying to the motion of the song, he threw them into the audience.

I know I was sitting ten rows from the stage, and I'm sure the probability of it is like super slim, but I'm not fucking kidding you—they landed in my face…

* * *

A/N: ahahaha. they landed in his face.

Comments would be much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 1: The DDR (Matt POV)

Chapter 1: The DDR (Matt POV)

A/N: *sings* I live for the applause, applause, applause...*cough*

I don't DN or anything! Nothing. No one. No where.

Disclaimer: Okay so like...DDR game has music, right? Well this song really really fit as background and stuff. It's called The Arcade By Hyper Crush. It's the ultimate Matt theme song, I swear on The Flying Spaghetti Monster. And listen to it all the way through because the ending is the Zelda theme song!

* * *

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

Click. I hit the button on my phone alarm, effectively trouncing the annoying little beeps it kept throwing at me.

"Aw fuck it. Is it 9 already?" I groaned to no one in particular. I rubbed at my sleepy eyes and slid slowly up, my sheet half draped across my naked legs. I'd tacked a calendar on the wall adjacent to my bed; it served as my "planner." Tch. Like I really wanted to be organized. 17 little x's marked the days since I'd moved in. Today was…Oh shit! My first day of work is today! Crap crap crap crap….

I threw my sheets to the ground, not really caring about the haphazard lump they formed against my bedpost, and threw open the door to my wardrobe. _Oh Jeezum Crow!_ My foot made contact with the corner of a forgotten pizza box, sending a light throb down my heel and causing me to hop about stupidly.

Leaning onto the bed for support, I slipped into my lucky jeans—I don't care what my mother says about luck being all in your head and crap because I've never lost a Mario Kart tournament with these babies on! The only thing cooler than my lucky jeans are my kickass goggles. That's right, bitches, I wear goggles even cooler than anime characters, and I fuckin' rock them. I nodded once more to doppelganger in the mirror before pulling my backpack out from the wardrobe's corner. Stupid piece of crap was caught on something, so I bent into the space, lighting up the darkness with my cell phone.

One of the straps had become entangled in a long length of shiny black fabric. I pulled it out carefully and let the pants rest on the small mattress of my bed. Just looking at them brought heat flushing to my cheeks. That…that guy. Mihael Keehl…

I've never been so singularly turned on in my life. Girl _or_ guy. Well I guess that's the first time I've ever looked at a dude that way—not that I'm closed-minded about my sexuality. My reaction was just a little…unexpected is all.

I let my fingers run down the length of the leather. Holy Zelda…where did he fit it all in these? I've seen girl jeans at double zero with more hip space than this.

I still had that slip of paper that the albino kid gave me. Maybe I'd check out that tearoom or whatever it was, you know to return these pants…and get another look at their sexy owner…In went the pants to a small pouch on the end of my backpack.

Before stepping out, I took one last look at my dorm room—which wasn't saying much. Twelve-thousand dollars a year for a tiny space that barely fit my desk, wardrobe and bed. Twin sized bed too! I mean you couldn't even fit two people on it if you wanted to—_er_…not that I'd be needing enough room for two people or anything…No I am not imagining a certain blond laying naked against my sheets. Shut up or I will pwn your ass at Halo! Don't even try me; my trigger finger's already twitching. (^.^)

* * *

"Yo Matusuda!" I called out as I tapped on the glass to my work place: 'Game On!' Ha…I'd squirted apple juice from my nose last week when I'd opened my e-mail notification from the Work-Study Program. I mean, seriously, with all the cashier jobs on campus, it was a pretty good stroke of luck to be assigned to arcade detail.

A tall gangly guy came and unlocked the glass double doors to let me in. A wave of AC hit my face as I walked into the vacuum seal of electronic paradise. Eight rows of computers, big screen televisions, and gaming consoles arranged themselves around this room. This room was where Matsuda would work, charging students by the hour for unlimited play on all the current-most RPGs and pretty much anything you could buy (or hack…hell yeah, Wii emulators!). I could already imagine the ghostly screams from a future showdown on Fatal Frame 4…

"Hey Jeevas. Ah, you can put your backpack in one of the employee lockers over there." He pointed to a small row of gray cubbies at the far side of the room, behind the counter. I grinned and shoved my stuff in an empty one.

"So you ready go get started?"

"Sure thing Matsuda. "

I was already familiar with the adjacent room, where I'd rule as the designated techie. It was full of the old school arcade classics: Pac Man, Pong, even a pinball machine. Every Tuesday and Friday for 3 hours, my kingdom would be the wires and plips of excited customers feeding their quarters to the arcade craze.

We welcomed a few customers but not too many people came in the play this early. The morning progressed pretty much without incident until somewhere near the end of our shift, when Matsuda decided to take a piss break and asked me to man his counter. A pair of girls had just walked in so I smiled at the blonde chick who sauntered up to the counter. _Hello! Fishnets and lace_…man they know where to hit a guy where it hurts! I had trouble looking away from the two smooth scoops of vanilla that poked out of her corset-like top.

But my eyes stopped on the dark haired next girl next to her. She was also a petit Asian and she flashed me a quirky little grin as they approached the desk. These were definitely not the typical customers. Heh…nerdy girls don't dress like that. _Mmm spaghetti straps._ Ah…is that even a skirt? It doesn't cover much…_O crap_, she sees me staring.

"Say I was wondering if you were game enough to take me on at DDR. Misa," she turned back towards the blonde, flipping a few black strands out her dark eyes, "doesn't really like to play."

DDR? _Please._ Have I told you, no one beats me at games? I stepped out from the counter, since, ya know, using the systems is an, ahem, integral part of keeping up their functionality and uh…maintenance and uh…aww hell, I wanted to play too okay?

"Well I guess that's Misa's loss now isn't it?" I winked at the blond girl, "Just give me a minute for the other guy to come back and I'll join you in the other room."

When he came back, I pointed in the direction of the other room, letting his eyes follow the invisible trail of my finger. Matsuda's jaw actually slacked a little when he caught sight of the delicious pair. I left him to his post, smiling to myself. This was going to be _fun_.

She slid up easily to the platform, depositing her change casually in the slots before turning to me and winking once more, "Alright…Mail," she noted from the name tag on my shirt, "Why don't you pick the song?"

Lions. Tigers. And Bears…_Oh my_…this kid was making it way too easy. I scrolled down the playlist, picking out an obscure trans that I was sure she'd never heard of, "So what's your name?"

"Sayu. Sayu Yagami."

I didn't have time to respond as the music began to engulf our attention.

_Nintendo Power Glove,_

_Locked and loaded with my finger on the trigger._

_And you'll notice that a fuck is what I give 'er._

_Click-Click-Bang,_

_it's the zapper gun game,_

_if you're with it come hang,_

_if you're not then you're lame._

Oh yeah. I'm totally in my element. _Down Up Up Up Sidestep Left_ and _lift_ on the handles. Poor kid didn't know who she was challenging. Oh well. I decided to slow my pace a little bit to glance at her, I mean it couldn't hurt to indulge her a little by pretending she might have a fighting chance at beating m..me…O_O _haaah?_…I can totally see her panties when she bends over…Awww _shit!_ My arrows shrank! Focus Mail! Focus! _Right Up Left Combo_!

_D-Duck, D-Duck Season,_

_Wh-What, Wh-What Heathen,_

_Give up for no reason?_

_Man, We make the party go._

_Go!_

_Collect dimes like Super Mario._

As the song picked up beat, mixing hip-hop with disco tempo, we increased our speed. I could feel the light beads of perspiration on my forehead. I tried not to look at her, but from what I caught out of the corner of my eye…This Sayu girl packed some mad skills. Like _off the wizzang_.

_You Know I like the way you play the arcade,_

_You know you like the way I'm running the game,_

_I'm sure you're always gonna want some, always gonna want some more._

_I know you really want to beat my, really want to beat my score._

_Ha_. Did she think that spinning combo was going to…_fuckin' shit!_ **Up Up Combo Right Left Left** NOOOO! Where in the name of all that is Metroid did that damned shrink box come from? Oh let's play rough. Yeah, babey,_ that's_ what I'm talkin' 'bout. _Left Right Left Up Left Down Down Down Down Down Up Sidestep Doooooooooown_. That's right bitches, this is my domain!

_Segatron Genesis- Call me the wizard._

_I'm number one on the list._

_Click-Click-Bang._

_The highest score, I'm the legend of the arcade._

_Speeding up your heart rate._

_Beatin' like a hard game._

No fuckin' way? Whoa…I'm losing…I'm actually_ losing_….Must concentrate…Must not look at her perfectly round butt…._Left. Left. Dow_—aww shit.

_Wait!_

_Stop._

_Drop it down to 8 bits._

_Bouncing like Donkey Kong._

_I'm going Ape Shit!_

The song was nearing it's climax…and so were my legs. I was already at my limit, but I'd been challenged by the freakin' engergizer bunny! She just kept going and going and going and…long legs that kept going and going…and glistening…and…

_You Know I like the way you play the arcade,_

_You know you like the way I'm running the game,_

_I'm sure you're always gonna want some, always gonna want some more._

_I know you really want to beat my, really want to beat my score._

You know how in Phantom Hourglass, Link can freeze time and shit to kill the enemy? Yeah I was having one of those moments…only I wasn't Link.

She smirked at me again and hopped off of the bars, extending a hand, "Wow you went for a really long time. But sorry, nobody beats me at DDR! I'm a dance major after all."

I kind of just stood there, blankly. Staring…dust collecting on my tongue. The girls walked out giggling enough to send a new wave of blushes down Matsuda's face.

Matsuda turned to me, his face the perfect shade of my hair as he squeaked, "Ah. So cute! Oh mommy save me! I think I just lost my heart…"

I kind of just looked at him. You can imagine my surprise when he elbowed me in the gut and said, "You sly dog, Mail. Letting her win like that. You're such a flirt."

Umn…yeah. _Letting_ her win…Riiiiight. "All part of the plan."

"I could never be that foreward…I'm too shy I think." He grabbed me by my shoulders roughly, with a slight crazed, slight desperate gleam in his dark eyes. "Would you…Could you? Do you think you could get her number for me?"

Yeah. More dust gathering on my tongue. _Dude, are you for real?_ "Uhh…"

"Oh c'mon! Please. You're the one that talked to her. It'll just be weird if I do it."

"I guess…"

He looked so utterly happy when I closed the glass double doors and walked into the third floor hallway of Keller Union. I scanned passed the other stores and fast food restaurants that lined this floor, looking for a hint of blond or black hair, when I heard…

"Stop! Thief! Thief!"

A ragged looking older man rushed passed me, nearly knocking me to the ground as he swept by with a small coin purse clutched in his grip. I whipped around to see him exit on the west side of the building, nearly knocking down a few more students in his wake. This building is on the side of a hill, so there is actually a ground floor exit on each of the first 3 floors.

"Help! Oh My God, Sayu!"

I turned back in the direction of the voice and sprinted down the hallway, ending at the stairs. Sure enough, the two girls from earlier were there, Misa grumbling at a cell phone. Sayu, however, was crumpled on the ground, about 10 steps down on a small landing, and she looked in pain.

"Raito! Why won't Misa's Raito answer?" The girl began texting rapidly on her cell phone.

"Are you guys okay? Is everything alright?" I looked between them.

"When that dirty old man pushed by us, Sayu tripped down the steps and twisted her leg. I've been trying to call her brother but Raito won't answer Misa's phone calls!" She huffed the phone at me and ended with, "Here, you answer if he calls back. Misa is going to get help!"

She ran off without even waiting for me to tell her if I was willing to stay or not. I walked over to the dark haired girl who was crying helplessly into her arms…oh damn that leg does look kind of swollen.

I was about to try comforting her when the device in my hand began to vibrate violently.

"Hello?" I spoke tentatively into the…_phone_? There were more charms and pink stickers on it than actually functioning buttons.

"Misa. What's so urgent that you had to text me during a meeting?" huffed the voice.

"Ah sorry, no. Misa ran off to find help. My name is Mail and I'm here with uh…Sayu Yagami in the Keller Union. I think she hurt her ankle pretty badly…and possibly she may have also been robbed."

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other side and after a brief pause, "What happened? Please let me talk to my sister."

"Of course!" I handed the phone to the girl as she was crumpled on the floor.

"Light! I fell down the stairs! Yes, some homeless bum pushed me and took my purse. No. No." She whimpered, "My ankle. It hurts a lot. Yes, please come! I'm on the stairs between the second and third floor of Keller Union. Please hurry!"

She handed the phone to me, tears in the corners of her eyes, "Please don't leave me alone."

I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile and nodded. The silence was a little awkward. A few people who weren't lazy enough to take the elevator came trudging through the stairway but most of them passed us by without comment. _What?_ Are there no more good Samaritans? Okay so like for normal people, maybe I'd have ignored the scene too if I were them, but _hello?_ Cute girl in distress! I'm not an idiot, thank you; I can have a chivalrous side when it's convenient.

Maybe ten minutes into waiting, a tall brunette rushed towards us through the landing, a briefcase swaying in his perfectly manicured hand. I didn't miss the preppy sway in his step as he approached Sayu, kneeling enough to be eye-level with her but not enough to touch the tweed fabric of his pantsuit to the dirty floor. Uh…Metrosexual much? Seriously…I wouldn't doubt if he had a hairdresser and personal tailor.

"Sayu." He said simply, hugging her slightly.

"Light." She smiled weakly. "And Mihael, you came too."

I hadn't noticed that a slender blond had followed 'Preppy Boy', soundlessly stepping towards us. Yet, there he was, my every morning fantasy for the past two weeks, staring past me like I was utterly invisible. Oh...right. _Cute injured chick on the floor_…mental facepalm. I momentarily turned back towards her.

She clutched at her knee, pulling it back and at the same time revealing bits of her panties between flashes of the inner thighs. _No way…_ They have strawberries on them just like the girl from that one manga…

I wasn't the only one to notice though because I saw Mihael's face contort into a scowl as his eyes trailed down the same path mine had. Wordlessly he removed his jacket and draped it across Sayu's lap, reclaiming any sense of modesty that seemed to slip away in her moments of pain. Light nodded to him in approval, smoothing a teardrop from his sister's face.

"Light. It hurts…I don't think I can stand on it." Sayu let her eyes rest on the blond, "Mihael…"

"It's okay Sayu." He answered simply but his expression was blank and unreadable. "It'll be okay."

She didn't really meet his eyes but rather, seemed to respond by squeezing her brother's hand.

Sayu was still clutching her brother's hand when the campus medic team lifted her onto a stretcher. You'd think they would have responded immediately to a thing like this, but that Misa girl was apparently spazzy enough to give them wrong directions. Yep, blonde and showing it.

The two blonds and I watched them take her away, Light of course making up the rear of their party. I handed Misa's...ah, phone, _if_ it could be called that, back to her.

"Misa is thankful for all your help," she said.

I just nodded, "It was nothing."

"Light will want to thank you properly, when he is less preoccupied with his sister's injury," said Mihael.

I looked into his eyes…they were so deeply blue, intangible like the never-ending sky. One of his brows furrowed as he sized me up, eyes lingering on my goggles. "Have we met somewhere…?"

Inwardly, I cringed. _He doesn't remember me._ But reason took the better hold of me. "Yeah, umn briefly during the club rush."

"Goggles…I think I remember you." He pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled some things on it. "What time are you done for the day?"

"My last class ends at four."

"When you're done, drop by. This is our fraternity address. Show this slip of paper to the guy at the door and he'll take care of you."

I barely had time to glance at the paper before he began sprinting out of the stairwell, muttering something about still having 20 minutes of studio time left. At the mention of time, I glanced at my watch. O crap…my shift ended already…Matsuda probably left.

I nodded apologetically towards Misa and walked back in the direction of the arcade, past the Taco Bell, beyond the Jamba Juice…Matsuda, surprisingly, was waiting for me inside.

"You sure took forever Jeevas! So did you get it? Did you get her number?"

Not wanting to crush the look of anticipation from his face, I shrugged, "Well…not exactly."

And I motioned for him to follow me outside, as I'd much prefer to tell the story after taking a long drag on a cigarette.

* * *

_A/N: And no, Mello being concerned about a woman's modesty isn't far-fetched, it's canon-remember he did let Takada have a blanket ;D._

_And yes, while the main story is Matt/Mello, there will be plenty of other DN characters showing up and many little side slashes as well…like a 4-way catfight for Light between Takada, Mikami, Misa, and L! Why? Curz I wanna avoid using OCs if I can. And its kinda fun too._

_Next chapter we switch POV, yay! Haha, thanx for reading. Suggestions? Questions? Comments? Reviews?_

_Oh yeah so I'd also like to take this time to say, please go check out the fics by author flick knife. THEY ARE REALLY GOOD!_


	3. Chapter 2: FML (Mello POV)

Tearoom Chapter 2: Fuck My Life (Mello POV)

A/N:Warning...there's a FLUFFY as fuck scene between Mello and Near! XD but it's like back story overload…so please forgive me.

Oh yeah, and I've only ever done Mello POV once before, so I don't really have a feel for it. I'd like some feedback on how I'm doing s'il vous plait.

Aaaaaand I soooooooo hate Halle here…I literally had to restrain myself from copying that one scene from Mean Girls and having a bus run her over…

Disclaimer: I own the fucking world, baby, and all of you in it! Screw you, copyrights! *Police sirens blaring in background* Oh shit…you saw nothing! *runs off, doing a barrel roll into the bushes*

My playlist for this chapter: Just Dance by Lady Gaga; Stickwitu by the Pussycat Dolls; Walk Away (Remember Me) by Paula DeAnda

* * *

Mello POV:

"Sayu's what?" her eyes widened instantly in mock concern…_yeah right, like you really give a fuck, you fake-ass bitch_. I tried not to grit my teeth as I politely repeated myself.

"She's fractured her ankle and it'll take too long to heal for her to make the competition."

I shifted all my weight to my left leg and let my arm balance across my hip as I frowned at her. I didn't particularly like asking favors from Halle; she often called the return debt in the form of a date…not quite my cup of tea. I mean, seriously…

I. Don't. Date. Whores.

She slid her long fingers through the sharp edges of her bangs before throwing a smile my way, "So you're going to need a new dance partner for the competition, right? And with such short time to prepare, you need someone you can rely on, so you came to me."

I didn't like the bemused twinkle in her eyes, or the way she batted her eyelashes with predatory lust. She was beautifully built for a dancer, and she liked to throw her hips around. Men melted for her and she'd twist their minds around her little finger. Manipulative women…tch…not my type and hard to work with. Having the body to dance doesn't equate to beautiful art form and I was seriously fucked that Sayu was no longer able to be my partner. _Sayu_, now there was a girl that could be conformed to any movement, her bodied molded with the chords of the music and she followed my lead at the lightest prodding. In essence, she was the most perfect partner I could hope for. Everything…that Halle wasn't.

I first saw Sayu during my freshman year, when Light's family came by to visit. Nate and I were vying for spots in the Delta Justice Fraternity and the entire Yagami household had come to visit from Japan; the way to clinch our spot in the frat house was to make them feel welcomed in the cross-culture atmosphere. I was surprised to find the youngest Yagami child was not only very interested in dance, but that she held a lot of talent for it. After some persuasion with the parents and some hefty research, we found a capable instructor back in Tokyo and she's been studying hard ever since. Now that she was finally university-age, she'd come down so we could do competitions together.

It was the perfect arrangement, really. Well except for the whole _now-I'm-screwed_ thing. Fuck I needed chocolate…wonderful, beautiful, luscious, tantalizing cocoa goodness. I mean damn, after a long day of stretching my muscles and listening to all the crap that I get from Nate and Light…and his annoying-ass fan club—that Mikami guy gives a whole new meaning to the word 'stalker.' I swear that movie…what's it called? Paranormal Activity? Some shit like that…anyways, they fucking modeled it after him, I swear. Fuck, after dealing with all the idiots and the deadbeats that force their presence on me, who would deny me a _little_ chocolate? It's my one guilty pleasure, and truth be told…as a stress-reliever, it's _even better than sex_.

Damn Nate…he fucking watches everything I eat, like a good little manager should. Every fucking little calorie. I can only eat foods that make my muscles lean and give me plenty of long-lasting energy. Fucking rabbit food…Oh guess what he says I absolutely can't eat? Chocolate! Motherfucker…thinks he's my goddamn _mother_ sometimes…

"Earth to Mihael…" the blonde in front of me suddenly broke me out of my reverie. She eyed me curiously, her eyes running down the length of my chest and stopping on my nether regions. Ugh…and they say _men_ have one-track minds?

"You really haven't moved on from Nate, have you?" she finally said.

No. Oh _hell no_. Bitch did _not_ just go there!

"The fuck, Halle?" I spat.

She better catch the fucking venom in my tone.

Seriously, just…no. No. NO! You do not just fucking bring up my ex out of nowhere! He has no fucking relevance to the conversation. I mean, yeah…maybe she had a point. I mean, I had plenty of one-night stands before I dated Nate, so maybe it was a little weird that after we broke up, I haven't really dated anyone new, okay, fine…I haven't even been knocked up in over a year, but seriously, where the hell did she get the gumption to just start—

"I'll take your silence as a no, then."

What the fuck? She interrupted my internal rant! _You got a death wish, blondie?_

I gritted my teeth, "What's your point, Halle?"

With light practiced steps she narrowed the proximity between our bodies, sliding the tip of her jazz flats against my ankles. The fringe of her bangs sharply accentuating the mischief in her face, she leaned into herself a little and gave me her deadliest bedroom eyes. I've seen professors break from the intensity of that gaze…

Little trivia fact here, want a five letter word for slut? H-A-L-L-E

"I'm not interested." I vented, and none too gently when she ran a finger against my chest. "Give the game up, Halle. What do you really want?"

"You said you wanted to dance. I'm just trying to get used to my new partner's movements. C'mon, babe, you know how this works." The way she said _babe_ was so…fucking gross. I am not a goddamn object, thank you. I know I look good, but I have standards…

I mean, I could understand her wanting sex if we were dancing tango—_tango_ is all about the intimacy between partners, that was part of the appeal for both dancer and audience—but I'm entering a national ballroom dancing competition. This…blatant seduction was completely unnecessary…

I sighed…"Will you shut up, if I humor you?"

The corner of her lips curled in triumph as I slid the zipper on my jeans…I really wasn't in the mood for this…

* * *

"Nate!" The door to our shared bedroom shook violently as I shoved it open farther than the hinges should allow.

"I'm right here Mihael, would you kindly lower your voice a few decibels? It is not necessary to shout when one is indoors."

_Bastard_.

I threw myself on my side of the room letting the foam topper of my mattress mould around the curves of my body, casting a perfect shell of my curves just beneath my sheets.

"I'm fucking screwed, Nate." My voice muffled slightly as I screamed lightly into my pillow.

"Yes, I am already aware of the situation," his voice traveled up to me and I turned my head to find him seated on the floor, painting another one of his stupid Gundam Models.

I. _Hate_. Robots.

As if he could feel my eyes on him, he dropped his gaze from the toy and met mine. His expression immediately softened, "What would you like me to do about it?"

"I asked Halle to step in as alternate," I breathed out, letting all my emotions well up in my eyes. Nate and I don't get along, and hell we hardly even like each other, but we have amazing ESP when it comes to each others' emotions.

"Oh." Was the simple response. Hey, I said he had_ ESP_, not empathy.

"You're so fucking sensitive, you know that?" I spat as much sarcasm as I could, "How the fuck did we ever end up a couple?"

I cast my gaze on the ceiling. The ceiling fan seemed to revolve slowly…so painfully slowly.

He spoke suddenly, "It was mostly sex…when it was anything at all. You know better than I do that it was doomed before it started."

We never talk about our past attempt at romance and I don't know why I was letting it get to me like this all out of nowhere…I guess it just bothered me that Halle had brought it up earlier. Nate and I don't get along…we haven't since we were children…yet we found ourselves in a relationship some time ago. It hadn't ended prettily…imagine my shock when I fucking lost my boyfriend to a fucking poster of _Meghan Fox_. I. Hate. Transformers. HATE!

He was right though; it wasn't for love or anything close to that. Hell, we're not even gay. I don't even know why we tried…just stupid kids grasping at things they don't fully understand, I guess…And yet, Halle was right. It's been over a year and I still haven't tried to find someone new. And it's not like I don't like women, I mean, fuck yeah, I do, really…when they're not whoring themselves at me, that is.

Fuuuuuuuuck my life…I wonder what my mother would say if she was still alive…

"Nate. Do something for my nerves, please."

Hesitantly, his hands lifted all the delicate plastic pieces. He placed them aside, treated them like glass, like precious treasures. I've been around the guy long enough to know he was speaking to me with his body. The softness from how his fingers touched his model seemed to speak out _'I don't want to remember right now'_.

"Play our song, Nate."

"It's not our song…it's their song." He looked up at me blankly, or at least he tried to. I may bottle my many emotions, but Nate simply ignores his, tries to manipulate them until he can pretend they no longer exist.

"It will always be their song." It barely came out as a whisper this time. "We can't take it from them."

"You're such an asshole. I come home for a little comfort and all you can do is remind me how fucked it is that the only thing I have in this world to remind me of my childhood is you."

"Where you find comfort in remembrance, it simply hurts me, Mihael."

"We are the only two people alive who know that song, Nate. If things had been different…maybe they'd be famous now. We'd still be able to watch them smile together. Both of our mothers…are you just going to let our memories die?"

"I…I will play for a while."

"Thank you."

The boy stood, dragging his white socks against the rough blue speckled carpet that covered the floor of our room. His steps were heavy as he made his way past his bed and nightstand and reached the closet on the far side of the room. He pulled a small case out from the corner and coaxed the zipper down before pulling the instrument out.

Sitting on the floor, bow in hand and violin on chin, Nate began to play.

And I began to weep.

Because suddenly, I wasn't in our room anymore. The white walls of our bedroom, the hallways of our frat house, the sounds of our housemates…even the stupid ceiling fan all melted away.

All I could see were flames…

The chords that flowed from that violin…simply engulfed me. I could remember every detail of that day…that last day when we saw them alive.

Our Mothers.

Our mothers were friends…back home. Back home in Hungary, my mother was a composer and Nate's was a music teacher. This song was my mother's greatest masterpiece: The Lullaby Tango. Until she wrote it to paper, she'd hum it to me as young boy. Then she taught it to Nate's mother and they'd play it together. Nate tried to learn it, since he's gifted in music…but he never learned the ending…

And he'll never get a chance to…since fate is a bitch and all.

The building where his mom taught was rather old, and not quite equipped with good fire escapes or anything like that. They were playing in there like they usually did on Thursday mornings, as we watched them. Suddenly, my mom wanted some music sheets that she'd left in an office on a lower floor. Nate and I went to get them…that's when we heard the shouting outside.

In the natural curiosity that characterizes boys of such a tender age, we walked out to catch the gossip in the street. The moment we stepped outside, we could smell the smoke. A fire had broken out next door, on one of the upper floors. They were evacuating the people from the building as the fire was quickly spreading…even across clotheslines and connecting wires between buildings. I watched in horror as bits of orange and red began to lick their way onto the tiles of the place we'd just exited. It hit Nate a second before I wrapped my mind around it; the room our mothers were in…had no windows. They wouldn't be able to see smoke or smell it.

I've always been stronger and more athletic than him, so when some man grabbed us from behind, trying to stop us from going back inside, I was able to wiggle away while Nate was stuck in the man's grasp. I took the stairs three at a time trying to reach the level where the women were.

When I had reached the top of the landing, the door was locked and the handle was too hot to force open.

_I was nine the last time I saw my mother's face…_

"Nate…" the song was coming to an end…or the end of what Nate knew anyways.

I tried to look at him through the tears that kept falling from my eyes. His eyes were closed, but I know he was thinking about the same things I was…

ESP I tell you.

**Rap. Tap. Rap. Tap.**

The door opened. I blinked the moisture out of my eyes as I deep pools of obsidian stared back at me. The man at our doorway was hunched over a bit, his shoulders dragging forward and away from the messy black tresses of his hair.

"Mihael, Nate, I hope I am not interrupting anything." L said has he shuffled his bare toes from his left foot against the toes on his other foot.

"Come in," my roommate replied, not slowing the movements from the bow of his violin, but his eyes were out of focus.

"Mihael, please come down stairs with me. We have some business to attend to."

He stepped aside a bit and for the first time I noticed that he wasn't standing there alone, but I couldn't really see the other person in the hallway. Great…company.

"Sure thing, L."

My transformation was immediate. I may have just been reveling in a moment of sentiment, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm a damn attention whore and I like to display confidence with everyone I come in contact with. I wiped the last bit of tears from my eyes and flicked my hair back, letting my 'mask' fall in place.

I was surprised to find myself staring, for the second time today, into a pair of goggles, half-hidden by a shock of messy red hair.

"Taken to stalking me, kid?" I laughed at him as I strode past, not turning to know that both men would be following down the staircase.

A touch to my shoulder gave me cause for pause, and I whipped around, nearly colliding with the redhead behind me. I blinked up at him in surprise, raising an eyebrow to silently ask him why he had touched me.

He looked a little confused but he spoke after a slight moment of awkward silence.

"Are you okay?"

Umn…_what_? I didn't lower my brow.

"Are you okay?" He repeated at my silence. "Your eyes are all red and puffy, like you've been crying."

His voice was surprisingly soft, laced with a concern that intriguingly, seemed genuine. I mean, he just kind of…_looked at me_. I don't know, it was kind of weird. Just, real, honest concern all throughout his features. This was that same guy who helped Sayu out earlier, wasn't it? Well what do you know, genuinely nice people actually exist out of fairy tales…

"Have...has music ever moved you?" I asked quietly, turning away, quickly putting distance between us by taking the stairs with my dancer's pace.

I waited at the bottom of the stairs, L coming down with the redhead trailing him. L strode into the adjacent kitchen and waved at us to follow him. We sat down in two of the empty chairs as the dining table, the wood scraping against the unattractive linoleum.

"What do you mean but that? Like...dancing to it?"

I turned to boy who sat across from me, not even hiding the incredulity from my expression. "No, I mean, emotionally."

I didn't think he'd even heard me ask the question…I mean, talk about delayed reactions. He took like two minutes to answer!

"No," he answered, looking at me with that odd stare of his. "I usually let my mind dictate the emotions. I don't like to think that a song could brainwash me."

I.

Fucking.

Stared.

Was…was that _meant_ to be a slap?

* * *

A/N: Originally, I wasn't going to end it there, but I thought it better to have the next segment in Matt POV, so I stopped. The next parts are going to be fun to write. Oh God wait 'til you meet Mikami's car...

Mello's back story is a bit more complicated than what was revealed in this chapter, as is his past w/Near...but that all gets expanded later when he and Matt get to talking. The song Near plays is extremely important to the plot though, and will come up again.

Reviews, please? Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 3: Tearoom (Matt POV)

Chapter 3: Tearoom (Matt POV)

A/N: MY FAVORITE CHAPTER SO FAR! I swear I think I began writing this story JUST so I could write the scene at the end of this chapter! XD

I HAVE FAN ART FOR THIS CHAPTER! FUCKING FAN ART! OMGGGGG Please take a look at my Profile to see what MoonlightM4gic rendered as her version of how Mello looks like in this chapter. *nosebleed*

Disclaimer: I'll own you at Tin Pin Slammers, if you play TWEWY…but I don't own DN or Rugrats or The Wizard of Oz or America's Most Wanted or Slayer or ANYTHING. The Poem that Misa quotes is 'Lesson of the Moth' by Don Marquis (It's a fucking amazing poem btw)

All hail The Flying Spaghetti Monster!

While typing, I put these songs on repeat: "Amor Prohibido" by Selena, "Dead Skin Mask" by Slayer, "I Can't Explain" by Scorpions, and ? by?(What was that? You think my music taste is shit? *pulls out HMG automatic rifle* Say that again….)

* * *

Oh fuck…WHY can't warp tunnels be real? I slouched a little into myself, trying to seem as small as possible, but it was impossible to ignore him…the perfectly hot and sexy blond sitting across from me, I mean.

But my perfectly hot and sexy blond's eye was now twitching, all because I couldn't keep my stupid mouth shut for a few damn seconds.

Fuck! Honestly…what the fuck was I thinking with a comment like that? I'd obviously hit a sensitive spot because Mihael was glaring daggers at me. And then suddenly, like someone flipped a switch or something, he broke in to laugher. Umn…What. The. Fuck?

"Hey, L, I think that was his attempt at being macho." He smirked into his hand, trying to repress the fit of giggles that rippled freely throughout his body.

Cocking his head to one side, he turned to me, and spoke very slowly, his tone more than condescending, "Naturally, anyone with even a touch of culture can tell you that music speaks to the inner mind, evoking intimate moments of nostalgia. To say that music can be brainwashing, is a ridiculous insult to the art, since everyone brings their own personal experience to the interpretation." Then, examining his painted fingernails with slight indifference, he added. "My mother was a composer by the way."

I clicked my ruby red converse together a few times. _There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like_…oh fuck it. I'm still here.

And I feel like a complete douche bag.

L coughed a little and broke the tension…well my one-sided tension. I dunno how he could cough in the arched position of his toes curled into the chair. The guy had strange little ticks and I had only met the man about half an hour ago, but I was beginning to warm up to his little habits…sort of.

"Would anyone care for a pastry?" he asked, moving towards a bread basket and placing it in the middle of the table along with three plates. I took one and watched him put 9 on his own plate…okay so maybe I _wasn't_ getting used to him…

"So," he began through mouthfuls of a poppy seed muffin, "Mail, you interest me. I talked to Light earlier and he and his sister are impressed with the way you handled that unfortunate incident this morning." He turned to the blonde, "Mihael, how many of our brothers belong to the Engineering Society?"

Mihael rapped his fingers against the wooden grooves in the table, thinking.

"None." he finally answered.

"That is what I thought," continued L. "Mail, we are always looking to greater diversify the brothers here at Delta Justice. As I told you earlier, Light and I are currently the acting presidents of our fraternity, but we will pass our duties along next semester to Nate and Mihael. They will need an assistant, a sort of vice-president by proxy…I know you are only a freshman, but I'd like to give you a chance at competing for the position. You strike me as brotherhood material."

I dropped my sweet bread. Mihael regained his composure before I did.

"Wait, L, what are you saying? Our frat only takes in sophomores and upper classmen!"

"I know, Mihael, but I am willing to make a special exception if I feel he is worth it. Besides, both you and Nate have artistic majors, perhaps he will help you two make more level-headed decisions."

The blond fell silent, evidently as dumbstruck as I. I mean, holy Zelda, they don't even _know_ me and they're offering me a spot in their frat house? _Sweeeeeet._

"Wow, that's really generous of you," I tried to sound grateful.

"Of course, you'll need to be broken in to the Justice Ways, and you'll be interviewed extensively. Becoming a brother means selling your social life to us…but the rewards are ten-fold. Are you up to the challenge? Do you want to see if you belong with us, Mail?"

I nodded profusely. L smiled, lifting his head slightly so the dark circles under his eyes dissipated, making him look much younger and childlike.

"Good." He munched on his fourth pastry. "Mihael will give you the tour tomorrow so you can get acquainted with all the duties that'll be expected of you. He'll also interview you extensively. Any objections?"

"I have rehearsal at 10 tomorrow." The blond narrowed his eyes at the panda man.

"I don't have any classes tomorrow, actually." I offered. "And I could always go with you to your dance class…I don't mind watching."

I hope I didn't sound too overly enthusiastic, but damn, I just got offered to spend the whole day with this fucking gorgeous sex god! My heart is racing as fast as Sonic the Hedgehog!

He seemed to think it over a bit, "Okay. Be here at 7:30. I'll be waiting outside for you."

He nodded to L before jumping up and excusing himself to study. Oh shit! I still have his pants…

"Wait!" I called after him, unzipping my backpack as he halted in the doorway. I pulled the long length of leather out and tossed it towards him. He caught them and stared at me, obviously not understanding. He unruffled the fabric and I watch comprehension smooth out his features.

"You were the one that caught my pants." He looked at me, mouth open slightly.

I nodded and he just kind of…stared at me. It was strange, almost as if I hadn't existed a moment before and he was making me materialize in his head.

"So far, you certainly are interesting." He said, squinting before he ran up the stairs to his room.

L walked me door, stepping outside with me just as a white windowless van pulled up on the curb. The license plate had the symbols for Delta Justice, so I figured it must be one of the 'brothers' L kept talking about. WTF? Does that license plate read _S-A-K-U-J-O_? Oh. My. Gawd. It _does_.

Death Metal blared through the darkly tinted window, and even though it was only open a crack, I think the van was equipped with a subwoofer because damn the air was pulsing from bass and beats. It looked oddly familiar…_oh my fucking Bowser!_ I know where I've seen this type of car before! One time, on America's Most Wanted, John Walsh profiled the ideal get-away vehicle for serial killers…I swear this was one of those! The music lyrics didn't exactly help my imagination either…

_Dance with the Dead in my dreams._

_Listen to their Hallowed Screams._

_The dead have taken my soul._

_Temptation's lost all control._

The music was abruptly cut off, and the driver exited the car, spinning twice in a circle before locking it. The moment I saw his overly-manicured nails, overly-groomed hair, and blindingly shiny shoes, I felt immediate dislike for the guy. He turned to us and did this weird salute thing, shouting "Sakujo no Jutsuuuuu!" before pushing past us and running inside. F.R.E.A.K.Y.

"What the fuck?" I turned incredulously to L. My mouth was hanging open a little.

"Oh that was Teru Mikami," replied L calmly. "Don't mind him. He can be a little eccentric at times, but as long as you don't insult his Naruto-obsession, speak to him with improper grammar, or insult the Dewy Decimal system, you'll get along just fine…"

As I left the frat house, I wondered exactly how many weirdos lived on this campus…

The next day, I showed up at fucking 7:30 like Mihael had requested. Damn him and his sexiness, making me get up a few hours earlier than my gamer's body demanded.

He was waiting for me out front like he said, wearing…haaa...those amazing black leather pants tucked into white knee-high Doc Martens. I had a great view of his abs since his faded Ramones shirt was hand cut and re-restitched, hanging off his shoulder and rolling up to reveal his midrift. And, omg he had a yellow fishnet top under neath…The rainbow bangles were back and he'd tied a red bandana around his head.

Damn this guy wasn't healthy for my genitals. XD

"Hey." He said simply. "Ready to go?"

"Dressed like that, you know you look just like the singer from Guns 'n Roses?"

"Say that again and I'll shove my boot up your ass, got that?"

I swallowed, nodded my head, and we started walking. Even if I wasn't wearing my goggles, he walked in front so I was free to stare at his ass as he sashayed along the side-walk. Fuck, I was half prepared to ask him if he was single, but why would a guy like that want someone like me? I'm just a game addict chain smoker who spends all his time on the computer and hacking shit.

"What was your name again?"

"M…my name? Mail. Mail Jeevas. And umn. You're Mihael Keehl."

"I think I know my own name, dumbass."

_Just stare at his butt and you won't want to punch him…_

After following Mihael to all the various places across campus where the frat held some kind of influence, it was time for his rehearsal. We headed for Joyce Hall, the main theatre building. On the third floor was a studio. He opened the door for me and I was surprised to find myself staring at my own reflection.

"Welcome to the mirror room."

The walls were lined with body-length mirrors. I guess dancers like to see themselves as they practice. A very attractive blonde woman approached me. She had a weird-ass haircut, all splintery and sharp in the front and I was immediately reminded of Coco La Bush from Rugrats in Paris. Heh, 'she's too pointy!' heh heh.

"Oh my! Mihael, who's the redhead?" She asked, winking at me, "You're not replacing me with him just so you can be the only blond on stage, are you?"

"Halle, this is the new proxy member I was telling you about, Mail Jeevas." He pushed me towards the blond woman. "Mail, this is Halle Lidner, my dance partner. I believe you've already met Misa."

I hadn't even noticed the third blonde at the far corner. I was a little distracted by the rather umn...large rack in front of me...Dayum, this Halle girl was like some kind of titty monster. I'm beginning to think that all blonds take hotti pills or something...

"Umn. Hi." was all I said, failing to peel my glaze from the cleavage overload.

"You're cute," she purred. Damn my cheeks must match my hair right now.

I was quickly ignored and pushed to the side to watch as the dance session began. I didn't recognize the music but it sounding swingish and latin at the same time. Misa sat with me, an expensive camera and tripod in front of her. When I asked her about it, she told me that she's a freelance photographer who sells her shots to the hottest campus magazine and a few key newspapers. Since she's also dating Light or "Raito" as she kept calling him, she acted more or less as the frat's PR. Since that really cute girl who I helped couldn't dance anymore, she was remaking some posters to advertise Mihael and his new partner.

After a while, Misa asked them to do some stills for her.

"No...no, no, no. That won't do at all!" she pouted. "Misa is not impressed. You two are showing like zero chemistry right now."

"Well I can't exactly know what you want, Misa, if I don't know how I'm supposed to look!" Countered Halle...she was turning out to be a little scary.

Mihael looked annoyed. "Mail, come here for a second."

I stood up and walked over to them, not quite sure why I had been called.

"Mail, will you let me shadow you so Halle can get an idea of what's expected of her?"

I stared at him, "Shadow?"

"Just stand here where she is and let me position you like a mannequin. It'll give her a visual."

"Umn... okay."

"Notice how relaxed his stance is, Halle? I need you to try and copy him."

Umn...I didn't know what the fuck to say to that. It sounded pretty weird, whatever this 'shadowing' business was, but I complied. He twisted my arms around his body and snaked his around my torso after adjusting my head angle. With his foot, he bent my legs a little into him and leaned his head very close to mine, and since he was behind me, his hair brushed my ear and shoulder. I felt myself being dipped and with one hand he pulled my goggles down. I suddenly felt naked and closed my lids out of instinct.

"I need you to look directly at my eyes."

I did...my heart pounding. I think I was blushing again...his face was just so close to mine! And his eyes...such an intense blue. Once captured by that gaze, I didn't want to look away. _Oh my mushrooms!_ He's...he's simply beautiful.

I heard a snap that probably came from the shutter on the camera. Oh..right. We're not alone here, are we?

"Do you get an idea of what you're supposed to look like now, Halle?" he said, letting me go and taking a step towards her. I felt cold at the loss of contact but I didn't want to give the girls any ideas so I turned to look at them.

But Misa and Halle were both staring at us, light hues of pink coloring their cheeks. Halle's mouth was slightly hanging open.

"What?" Mihael said.

Misa swallowed a bit hard before answering, "Umn...How did you do that?" she said to me.

"Do what?"

"You should take a look at the picture," she pulled her camera off the tripod and walked to us.

Out of...curiosity, I went to look and was shocked..._was that me?_

Halle snatched the camera from her hands, speaking to me like Misa did, a touch of wonder in her tone. "How the heck did you pull off looking innocent and erotic?"

Well, _fuck_.

* * *

It was a little awkward after the whole picture deal, but Halle and Mihael managed to pose for a shot that Misa was satisfied with. When practices were over, we (okay my rumbling stomache) decided lunch was a good idea. Misa followed us to one of the cafeterias. Both blonds grabbed a salad while I bought a sandwich and we sat down at a table together. Mihael asked me questions that I suppose were the interview part of this whole thing and Misa broke in every once and then with bits of gossip or commentary on my responses.

Suddenly her umn...phone? Damn thing could hardly be called that...dunno how she can tell where the phone functions are with all those stickers and charms covering the damn thing. Well the damn thing vibrated for an incoming text. Her face immediately fell.

"Misa's Raito won't be able to have dinner with Misa. He is busy..."

Mihael gave her a serious look before commenting.

"Misa, what are you going to do when someone more influential comes by and L tells Light to leave you?"

My mouth opened a little, but she merely poked at a cherry tomato before stabbing it with her fork.

"Misa will try her best so that her Raito will always need her." She spoke softly, a hint of sadness overwhelming the brightness of her eyes.

I stared at her, "You mean, you just let yourself be used? I thought he was your boyfriend!"

She smiled gently at me and patted my head. "Misa's Raito…is not really Misa's. It's a facade set up by the fraternity, so Misa will work exclusively for Delta Justice's public relations. Misa is a strong publicity contact and L suggested the relationship because he knows Misa's feelings for Raito overshadow her… "She paused, searching for the right word, "sensibility. Perhaps Misa will be discarded when she is no longer useful, but, Misa Misa can't imagine herself without her Raito. She will do anything for him, even if he doesn't love her!"

As she slumped forward, the soft edges of her blonde tresses caressed the leaves of lettuce, bits of salad dressing clinging to the tips. For the moment, she appeared vulnerable, open, and unnervingly aware. You could see the dilemma in her eyes, hidden under layers of masks. Suddenly, I could see the girl for who she was, and the image was frightening. Misa Amane was a self-made puppet, a shadow of a woman, hiding her intelligence behind the guise of pain, misery, and denial. Her true self wasn't the curtsied pinks and smilies that she projected…far from it. I finally understood why she referred to herself in the 3rd person…the 'Misa' she talked about was nothing more than a persona while the real girl lay hidden deep inside.

And I thought _I_ was fucked in the head…

"Misa! It's your life! You've got to take control sometime! You can't live your life feeling so hollow and fake all the time."

I hadn't noticed I'd been shouting until Mihael touched my arm and told me sit down. Misa looked mortified as half the cafeteria was staring at us. I took my seat, a blush spreading across my cheeks.

"Mail." Mihael looked at me and I was caught in the intensity of his blue eyes, "It's Misa's choice."

I surveyed the two of them, and suddenly I felt sick. I'm not a toy, I'm not a puppet, and I certainly am not going to compromise my life-style for the sake of popularity…nor am I going to put myself through the kind of shit that this fraternity demanded…just for a fucking association stamp on my fucking diploma or whatever perks joining Delta Justice might bring. I needed to make a decision before they could suck me into their freakish cult.

"I…I think this interview is over." I said simply and stood up, not bothering to give a second glance to the pair of blonds as I walked out the door.

"Wait! Mail, wait!"

I spun around, just outside the door to the cafeteria and Misa stood there, giving me a peculiar look.

"Thank you." She spoke softly, but I couldn't read the emotion in her eyes. "Thank you for considering Misa like a real person…"

She leaned towards me and lightly pecked my cheek, but it was as herself, the 'mask' was down and the smile she was giving me was genuine.

"Don't judge the others by my actions," she said suddenly, dropping her Lolita colloquialisms and third person speech. "They really are nice, all of them…well, almost all of them. L is the only real asshole, truth be told. I think that's why I stay around, because they make me feel part of something bigger… 'it is better to be a part of beauty for one instant and then cease to exist than to exist forever and never be a part of beauty. Lesson of the Moth, by Don Marquis. Look it up.'"

And with that, she was gone, waving away and skipping off towards a different part of campus.

Against my better judgment, I walked back in to where the other blond was waiting.

* * *

"Last place on the tour. I give you the Tearoom."

He pushed the door, holding it open enough for me to slip through before allowing it to swing shut. We stepped into a cozy looking sitting room. There was a couch, a tea table, several paintings on the wall...mirrors and flower vases...The room wasn't unoccupied; the guy who I think was called Nate was sitting at the couch, lounging.

The pale boy looked up to us, arranging a wicket basket of…Oh. My. God…

The basket was full of _purple condoms_.

"Hello," he said, a coy smile spreading across his lips. "Mihael, I'm surprised to see you; I didn't think you came down here anymore. It's empty right now if you two want some privacy."

Umn...okay _what in the name of Toadstoole is going on here?_

"Oh wipe that smirk of your face, you voyeur. This is Mail, our potential replacement. L has me showing him around."

"Umn...what exactly is this place?"

They both stared at me. Nate laughed, "I could explain it, but you won't have as much fun as if I showed you."

"Wait, Nate," smiled the blond, "this is his first time in a tearoom. We should make it an experience he won't forget."

"True...why don't you show him then? You're better than I am."

"Wait...I didn't mean it like that..." they had a kind of staring contest. I think the albino won because Mihael turned to me abruptly, saying, "Come on. Let's get this over with."

He pulled me through another door to the far left and I had to blink a few times when I saw what the room contained.

"It's a bathroom," I stated the obvious.

"Well duh. What did you think?"

Before I could reply, he pushed me into the stall, a little roughly. The backs of my knees hit the porcelain of the toilet bowl and I clutched at the walls, my nails scraping at the smooth metallic surface. Mihael walked in after me, slamming the door shut and kneeling in front of me.

"Close your eyes."

"Wh…what are you going to do."

"Just relax and close your eyes."

I did as I was told.

And suddenly his hands were on my hips. He roughly tugged at my pants and with a single motion all the fabric that was sitting at my waist found its way to my knees. Like hell was I going to keep my eyes closed!

"What the fuck are do you think you're d…ahhh!"

His mouth. Was on. My dick.

I could feel myself hardening between his lips and suddenly, the rest of the world dissolved. Nothing existed except the wonderful nerve-endings in my penis and the incredible tongue that was clouding every brain cell in my head.

I mean, it's one thing to watch the guy dancing because he's fucking talented at it…but the way his _tongue_ was dancing on me…fuck. Just. Fuck.

I was only half aware of the random expletives that left my mouth. His hands gripped my ass as he swallowed me deeper…it was so wet and warm and _omfg he's moving his lips in a corkscrew motion_. I. Lost. It.

One moment I was splintering my fingernails on the cold metal walls of the stall, then next I was moaning uncontrollably…fuck, he was humming around my penis. He just kept sliding his lips across my flesh and I lost myself in the vibrations…

How can someone be so all-consuming? This guy…I've only seen him a few times before, but he's been on my mind every day since the first time we met. Why am I so drawn to him?

I felt the muscles in my abdomen tighten…and then the most wonderful feeling surged through me as he withdrew his mouth and spun me around. I released all over the wall and toilet cover.

I was panting like mad, my face red and flushed.

"Now that is what I call a proper college welcome. Damn, I'm good." Came the voice from behind me, "I don't think you lasted even 3 minutes."

"That was incredible." I said finally, pushing myself off of the wall and turning back to face him. Too overwhelmed to pull my jeans back up, I simply watched him as he turned the sink on, splashing cold water on his face and rinsing his mouth out.

"Why did you do that?" I huffed, still breathless in my post-orgasm state. "Do…do you want me?"

That was, perhaps, the stupidest question I could have asked.

He laughed. He fucking_ laughed_.

"I know it was hard to focus on anything but my tongue and your dick, but look at me." He pointed to his crotch. "Not even a hint of arousal, and this leather hides nothing. If I was even a little bit gay, don't you think I'd have an erection right now?"

* * *

Wow. Did…Did I just write that? XD

I don't know how many of you go to big Universities, but there really are several bathrooms on my campus that have sitting rooms like this. And my school has an actual Tearoom. I've never seen it but I've heard about it. Gay hookup spots like that are not uncommon, yo.

Hmn...Mello "not gay"...interesting explanation for that...or at least i think so XD

Review, please. Can anyone guess the answer to why Mello doesn't have an erection after seeing the sexiest thing on the planet (aside of himself)?


	5. Chapter 4: Vanilla (Mello POV)

Tearoom Chapter 4: Vanilla (Mello POV)

A/N: So I started this fic a bit earlier than my lovely friend xxbeyondxbirthdayxx did her fic _Too Sexy for My Shirt. _It's a bit embarrassing that I have only about twelve chapters typed out when she's updated hers right now and she's racked things up to the sixties XD. Oh well. Since she's updating again, let's all go and read it again from the beginning, yeah? Who's with me? This and that fic are both based on fictional versions of UCLA after all (my school, biotches :P)

Speaking of UCLA. I'm graduating. FINAL-FUCKING-LY!

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, then I don't own it, obvi!

* * *

I swear, Nate and I seriously have to thank L for giving us the little present that is 'Mail'. He's marvelous to throw into all the little annoying jobs that we don't want to touch. Like last week I sent him into the lion's den—to meet with Kiyome Takada (she's Lucifer in Versace heels, I fucking swear), the head of the feminist organization, to comb over some of the finer details of an inter-club event that we're helping with. He may not look very person-friendly, but Mail's quite the charmer. His nervous little twitches are like a siren's song, especially with the ladies. I bet he had Takada making goo-goo eyes at him through her Coach sunglasses that she wears indoors. Honestly, she should have played Sharpay in that annoying excuse for a musical…High School something. She certainly acts blonde enough.

October is such a busy month for everyone. We've got to drench the campus in purple because it's _Pride Month_. There are so many events to organize, it's overwhelming. Bake sales, fundraisers, art exhibits, exhibitionism demonstrations, video nights, candlelight vigils, marches, protests…I seriously haven't had a good night's sleep in days. National Coming Out Day is _insane_ because the campus counselors have to be on standby to help with all the breakdowns. Shit, and this year there was the whole mishap with the flags! Some duties are distributed by luck of the hat draw, and dear Mikami was given the job of setting up all the different colors around. He ordered the wrong colors for the flags so the bisexual and pansexual flags were mixed horribly and the gay pride flags were shipped an entire week late. The director of Queer Alliance nearly had Light's head for such a mishap, although watching the short little lesbian chew out _Mr. Perfect_ was great entertainment.

End of the month is the climax of all our hard work, however. It's Halloween, L's birthday, and Parents' Weekend all rolled into one little bundle. And _oh God_ are the preparations fucking awesome.

Ah…but right now…right now it's time to pick out our costumes. Delta Justice has an honorable tradition: we put embarrassing costume ideas in a box and pull out our selection randomly from the pot. This year it was Nate's job to supervise the drawing. L, Light, Mail and I were lounging around the kitchen when it was our turn to pick.

"Do we have to?" Light complained after everyone had pulled a paper from the box.

"Is Light-kun insinuating that he would rather not wear a costume and thus _skip my birthday party_?"

"Not at all, L." The brunette sighed in discontent.

"Well let's see the damage this year."

Light was the first to peek, "What the hell? Who the fuck put _Sailor Moon_ as an option? Just because I'm Japanese doesn't mean I look good in a girl's sailor suit! _Damnit_."

"It could worse, Light-kun. I myself shall have to smother my body on four gallons of strawberry scented body glitter."

I stared at L, "What freakish costume requires that?"

The panda man deadpanned. "Edward Cullen."

Mail squirted soda out of his nose and I had to slap him a few times on the back before his coughing fit subsided.

"Dude!" the redhead squabbled, "A tampon makes a better vampire than those Twilight excuses. And how are people supposed to see you sparkle while you're indoors? Aren't we having a nightclub-style dance here in the Frat House?"

L's let his thumb slide up to his bottom lip, deep in consideration, "I suppose I shall have to get glow in the dark glitter."

I'm not sure who was laughing harder, Mail or Light.

I however, only needed a quick glance at my draw to break out into a huge grin, "I'm going to need a roll of caution tape."

"What did Mello get?" questioned Near, "Perhaps a police officer?"

"_Hell_ naw," I laughed, flashing my teeth in a small series of chuckles, "I'm gonna be Lady Gaga, bitch, and you can bet she's not the only one who can rock with cans in her hair."

Nate (cuz he fucking cheated, I swear he must have rigged his pick) was going to be—surprise surprise—Iron Man. With only one person in the kitchen left to reveal their luck, all eyes fell towards Mail. The redhead beside me grimaced visibly after unfolding his selection, but made no move to voice his sentence. When it became apparent that he didn't intend on speaking up, I wrestled the slip from his hands and read it out loud.

"It says he has to dress up as whatever the last thing was that Nate ordered from Toys R Us. So like, what? A lego or something?"

Sheepy-bitch slipped a finger around one of his powdery locks before breaking into a creepily wide grin, "Actually, Mihael, the last thing I ordered was a Goldie Hawn edition _Barbie_."

Mail looked utterly horrified but I know why Nate was grinning so broadly; that doll is wearing nothing more than a checkered black and red bikini…but the interesting part is it's Goldie Hawn in all her tattoo glory—pirates, checkered flags, stripes on just the arms…a complete work of art. And we were gonna help paint it on Mail's body. All over his arms, legs, stomach…_ass._

Oh yes, I love October.

* * *

"Mihael, are you ready?"

"Yes, Kiyomi." Halle replied for me, for the fourth time within the hour, actually.

God, I hate that woman and her pearly perfect prissy planning. Takada is worse than Mikami when it comes to keeping things on schedule…and making schedules for that matter. We're artists for _fuck's sake_, we _know_ what we're doing. Duh! Honestly, I couldn't wait to get out on the stage and dance. This costume wasn't the most comfortable I've ever worn. To distract my impatience, I took a final glance around. Nate stood a little to the side with us backstage, checking the sound cues. I wasn't nervous, not at all. Just uncomfortable.

I've never danced in a _trash bag_ before.

Takada took her place front and center of the stage before announcing our act.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, I know you've all been waiting for the main event and here it is. As a joint presentation to you from Delta Justice, Queer Alliance, the Go Green Initiative, and the Musical Theatre Department, we're going to raffle off one of the fabulous prizes here on the stage. But before we do that, our lovely presenters have a little show prepared. Please give a round of applause for Halle Lidner and Mihael Keehl."

I took my blonde partner's hand and we walked out onto the stage. It was a small outdoor stage, maybe only twenty feet wide, but the sun shone brilliantly off our 'clothes' and you could instantly tell the shock in the three or four hundred something eyes that bore into us. I don't think anyone understood our getups until music began to pour from the subwoofers.

Anyone familiar with the 'I Eat Cannibals' music video from the 80's can tell you about the crazy outfits that the girls of _Total Coelo_ sport while singing the song. Bright, multi-colored, Flintstones style dresses made entirely from plastic trash bags. And that's what Halle and I were wearing…sort of. Well she also had a fully body fishnet underneath, but it's not like it covered much skin. The idea was to bring sexy entertainment (me dancing, of course) and combine it with a creative way to promote recycling…So Halle and I were going to dance in this uncomfortable get-up and shit. Oh and one of the LGBT clubs decided to make plastic trash bag purses that said 'Marriage is for Everyone' and they were selling those. New ways to recycle—_my ass_…but oh well. And to end the thing, after our dance, Takada was supposed to raffle off some great prize or whatever from several environmentally conscious prizes that lined up behind us.

We started off slow. I slipped one hand around the small of her back and let her follow me in liquid movements across the stage. We started off in a molasses of cha-cha with integrated fox trots and a few steps of freestyle jazz. I couldn't pull off some of my usual stunts barefoot because I couldn't lift Halle too high and keep my footing, so we had to improvise some areas of the dance. And if the loud jeering and cat calls from the audience were any indication, they didn't mind too much. A few glances and I could see the enlarged digital versions of us on large monitors that Misa had set up. I wondered vaguely what angle she was filming from.

Halle leapt on my back and I couldn't help grin as I swung her into a half-crescent before she fell stiff against me. It took all my will power not to shudder against the touch of her breasts to my body—_why in the damn Hell_ she couldn't be bothered to wear a bra was beyond me, but I don't pretend to even have interest as to what goes on in that head of hers. Very soon, it was time to drop the practiced steps and play a little with something far more primitive. Some stage hands threw long, bone-shaped batons towards us and we caught them with practiced motions before giving an impromptu sword fight with the sticks. A few parries and pars later, we found ourselves back with the liquid movements of a samba and I dipped her very _very low_ to the audience before grazing my teeth against Halle's neck sensually. We kept still for a few moments in that position, hands clawed out and toes clenched inwards with our teeth bared and shining, as the crowd erupted in applause. I. Love. My. Job.

Takada walked brusquely back onto the stage to join us in our bows before she handed the microphone to me. I took the slip of paper in her hand and read it off, "I will now announce the winner of the interclub raffle. Will Stephen Gevanni please come up to the stage?"

A small gap in the crowd opened for a young dark-haired man. He made his way towards us as a round of applause congratulated him on his good fortune.

"Alright Gevanni," I motioned towards the prizes sitting on tables behind us, "We have a wonderful selection of prizes to choose from, all made from recycled goods and plastics. You may have any of the environmentally conscious displays on the stage."

I didn't miss the way Gevanni's eyes flashed when I handed the microphone to him and he said in a very serious voice, "I think I'd like Ms. Lidner as my prize."

A collective gasp moved through the audience, as well as a few whoops and jeers. Takada seemed nothing short of scandalized but the blonde by my side merely laughed.

"Well, we did say anything on the stage, didn't we?" purred Halle, not in the least disturbed by the request, "Such audacity! Very well. I shall take one for the cause."

And with that she handed him her hand to be escorted offstage, leaving flustered Takada without time to regain her composure, so I had to finish the MC duties for her.

* * *

Halloween kicks ass, just saying. Misa showed up really early at my request to help me fixate all the beer cans into my hair before she went to attend to L. How the fuck he got 23 spray cans of glow-in-thedark body glitter is an utter mystery but neither he nor Light were coming out of their shared room until the guests arrived for the birthday bonanza. Misa was the only one allowed in, and even then, she wasn't allowed to see Light's costume. He wasn't exactly keen on the idea of wearing a pleated chiffon mini-skirt.

Nate is rather good with a needle, believe it or not, and helped me sew my caution tape onto a nude-colored leotard so that I could easily slip in and out of my costume. He'd even managed his own handmade Iron Man suit, making a thin and flexible set of foam armor. In all honesty, that mask was a work of beauty.

The whole frat house was in a flurry to get ready for the party, but no one was more excited than Adam who kept running around repeating 'Beyond is coming!' 'Beyond is coming!' I've never actually met the man, Beyond Birthday. He graduated before Nate and I came here, but he was the President of Delta Justice directly before L and Light took over. Apparently, he and L had some strong business ties, but L wouldn't say a word about it. And Adam wouldn't shut up about it.

"Hey Adam!" I called to him as he ran by rather noisily, "I thought the white rabbit was supposed to yell, 'I'm late'. You've got it all wrong."

He frowned outside my door, "Mihael, how many times do I have to say that I prefer just to be called 'A'? And I'm not the white rabbit; I'm a playboy bunny!"

Tch. _Not without padding the chest on that suit, you aint!_ I was tempted to poke some more fun at A's costume but Nate saved him.

"How is Mail's costume coming along?" Shuffled the albino from somewhere behind me.

"His temporary tattoos are coming out beautifully. How _the fuck_ he agreed to let Mikami draw on him is a mystery though." Adam cocked his eyes at me and I shrugged.

"Psycho bitch has the best penmanship of any one of us."

"Who are you calling a psycho bitch, Mihael?" _speak of the devil…_

A, Nate, and I turned our attention towards the stairs and quickly had to avert our eyes for fear of being blinded by the giant orange mass.

"Mikami, what the fuck is your costume?"

"Naruto, of course."

"That isn't what you drew from the box, Teru," scolded Nate. "Go change. You are supposed to be dressed as a Care Bear, remember?"

Pfft! Mikami as a popular children's plushie…oh _yeah_, there was _nothing wrong_ or even _slightly_ pedophilic about that. Not at all. Nope. You could tell Teru wanted to protest but Nate threatened him with toilet-scrubbing duty if he didn't comply, so he couldn't really argue.

A very dejected Mikami turned away as Mail stepped towards us. And_ holy fuck_ did he look nice. A tight women's red and black checkered bikini barely even covered his skin, leaving plenty of flesh for Mikami's handiwork to show. Beautifully intricate tattoos adorned every inch of uncovered flesh. Ironically, even horizontal red and black stripes covered his right arm, as if one of Mail's sleeves was still present even in his shirtless form.

I let out a low cat whistle for the redhead as he stood for our inspection. Tonight was going to be fun, oh yes, indeed.

People flooded the frat house in a giant sway of bodies and costumes. In the main parlour, L's birthday cake was on display; the cake was a seven-layer deal with Andy Warhol inspired images of L making a candy-coated display for the topping. Expensive as _fuck_, but a complete work of art! The panda man himself was working his way through his sixteenth Candied Skull and he really was a sight to behold. We'd set up lots of black lights to reflect all his body glitter and he was sparkling more than a disco ball. Light was trying to hide in a corner, but it was hard to ignore the 14 or so inches of his exposed and _waxed_ legs. He was having a hard time keeping his skirt from riding up past his thighs. It didn't help that everyone who passed him slapped his ass when he wasn't paying attention. Misa, for once, was the least slutty-looking person in the room. Apparently Light asked her to behave like Mother Theresa and she'd even gotten the nun's habit and everything. It was strange to not see more of her skin than her face and fingers, but also refreshing. She completely contrasted Halle who had slipped into daisy duke shorts that didn't even cover all of her butt cheeks. She was bra-less again but with a white tank top that left nothing to the imagination as she'd spilled water all down her front. But as if that wasn't distracting enough, on her head was a fucking _basket of hard-boiled eggs_.

"Halle…what exactly is your costume?" I heard Mail ask her as he failed to keep his eyes above her neckline.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm eggs over easy."

_No fucking shit you're easy!_ I couldn't decide if I was more impressed than appalled. I guess you can't say there isn't method to madness.

Beyond's arrival was nothing short of catastrophic…not that it wasn't already crazy watching drunk kids try to have an orgy with their clothes still on. I took the distraction to slip my hand around a certain redhead's wrists and yank him up the stairs with me.

"Hey Mail, wanna go to a more private party?" I whispered and the smoker looked at me questioningly, "Wash the paint off and change into your normal clothes and meet me outside in ten minutes."

I turned off into my room and stripped my costume off in exchange for some jeans and a shirt and some rubber-soled boots. Mail was waiting for me outside, as I had to make a small detour for helmets and a few packages I'd prepared beforehand.

"What are the helmets for?"

"You wanna ride without protection, dumbass?" I sneered and I yanked him into a small side garage.

Inside was a sleek custom Harley, extra long with a draconic body. I let him drink it in before setting my packages in the sidesaddle and waving for him to get on. We couldn't talk even if we wanted to, and the ride was smooth and traffic-less. We pulled up to the hospital shortly, but I parked an inconspicuous block away. Mail looked terribly confused.

"I thought you said we were going to a different party."

"We are." I grinned at him, "If you can hack into the hospital's security so we can sneak in, that is."

I watch the incredulity spread across his features before a grin overtook them with complete mischief. I handed him a small laptop from the saddle and grabbed the packages I needed for later. Granted, it did take a while, but Mail managed to remotely access the security cam and put it on a loop for a bit…just enough for us to get in and sneak by up the elevator.

I knew where we were going but I didn't tell Mail until we got there. We strode into a private room on the 3rd floor, and bless her heart, she was sleeping already, so I decided to poke her while Mail shifted uncomfortably in the silence of the room.

"Sayu. Hey Sayu, you have visitors."

The petite Asian wiped the sleep from her eyes and I watched their near dilation as she realized that were there.

"Mihael!" she threw her arms around me and I had to shush her to remind her that we didn't want any nurses finding us in the room.

I placed the packages on her bedside table and we unwrapped them. There were Halloween decorations which I handed to Mail to put up around her bed and there were boxes of different candies and things.

"I don't know why Light insists that I stay here," she gushed at us with a Kit Kat hanging from the corner of her lips, "It's not like I can't walk or anything. My leg's all better. He just likes to keep me suffering in this boring room with nothing to do!"

"You're here because they want to watch the physical therapy on your ankle so that it heals perfectly. A little off and you won't be able to dance like before."

Half a box of candy later, Sayu seemed to realize that Mail was in the room.

"Hey," she spoke brightly to him, "You're that guy who helped me. I never got to thank you for staying with me. Come here."

When he inched closer, she threw her arms around him and planted a small kiss to his cheek. I watched amusedly as he stiffened into the touch and how he hardly moved even when she pulled away.

"You can stop leaning over me now," she scolded lightheartedly.

* * *

Soon she got sleepy again and we snuck back out into the street. I offered to drive Mail back to his dorm and ended up getting off and walking up with him after we got to talking.

"I pity that Gevanni guy who won the drawing."

"Mmmn? Why is that? Halle's a pretty hot hook up."

"She may be pretty to look at but she's really selfish in bed. You know how some girls are all energy but a pretty lousy lay? Yeah…she's one of _those_."

I looked up at him when he didn't answer right away, but he had his back turned from me. Should I not have mentioned that I've slept with her before? Hey, facts are facts here and I'm not the most modest person in the world.

"Mail?"

He laughed awkwardly before saying, "Actually, I've never been with a girl. I've never had a relationship before."

"Yeah but you don't need to be with someone to get into their…wait." Huh. No shit, _really?_ "You're a virgin, aren't you?"

"…"

_Holy shit_, he is. Nothing is more telling than silence. No, no, no _no no no_ no. We cannot have this. Nope. Not at all. Oh God, _I gave him a blow job_. What if that's the only time anyone's even touched him? Completely unacceptable.

"What kind are you into?"

"Huh?" he stared wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights.

"Girls. What kind of girl do you want. I'm not letting you get through your first year without any experience."

Mail's jaw went a little slack as he stared bug-eyed at me. I raised my eyebrow in response, challenging his incredulity. He looked down before speaking, sitting on the edge of the tiny-ass bed.

"I don't know, Mihael. I…I don't think it's really your business what I do or don't do in bed. Besides, I don't think I can just sleep with some stranger. That's so awkward."

I looked him over. Over-sized jeans and a _Tool_ band shirt with a large eye staring back at me. His hair is so shocking red, even in this crappy fluorescent lighting and his skin is pale from underexposure to the sunlight. He screamed 'geek' and it wasn't likely that was going to change soon. Outward appearances aren't much to go on though if you've got the personality, and Mail certainly has some appealing traits.

"Well I guess it can't be helped then."

"What?" He was avoiding my gaze now.

"Sleep with me."

His torso twisted faster than I could even have guessed it to and if I thought he looked uncomfortable with the conversation earlier, he was doubly so now.

"Y...you want me to have sex with you?" He squeaked. Yes, _squeaked_.

Was he deaf?

"Naww, I want to have a sleepover with a tent and smores and a campfire, right here in the middle of your dorm. _No shit_, that's what I said, isn't it? We're friends right? That takes some of the awkwardness away. I haven't slept with a guy in a long time but I really don't mind. Don't be scared, it feels _really good_. That's all it's about, really…feeling good."

He didn't answer, but by the blush that crept across his cheeks I could tell he was going over the possibilities in his head, and honestly if he wanted a noncommittal fuck I was in the mood myself. I mean, I love women, don't get me wrong, but changing it up once in a while is nice. And I've never actually slept with a guy other than Nate. I laughed when I saw that Mail hadn't moved at all from where I'd been stationary on his bed. Guess I'm going to have to start this.

"Wait," he suddenly spoke up," I thought you were straight."

I remembered his shocked face back in the tearoom when I told him I wasn't gay. I'm not, truly, I'm _not_, but the look on his face was still priceless when he saw my lack of erection after blowing him. Truth really is, I might just be pansexual. Sex is _sex_. I mean, fucking shit, _I've slept with Nate_ and I don't even find him attractive! I debated just how much Mail deserved to know about my sexuality.

"I'm not receptive to stimulus like most men are—from sight. I react far closer to the way women do, which is primarily by touching. It doesn't matter how sexy or not someone is, I'm not going to get it up unless I get some heavy foreplay."

More silence. Honestly, what am I going to do with this kid?

I moved my lips close to his face and whispered softly, "Just do whatever you feel like, and don't hesitate to touch me. Actually. Just _touch me_."

And with that I placed his fingers on my hip and then joined our lips in a kiss. I could feel him stiffen, his back and shoulders immediately filling with tension. He didn't move, didn't react…he simply tensed all over. I frowned…was I…_was I being rejected_? I pulled away and looked at him, but he'd clenched his eyes completely shut. Ummn…well_ fuck_.

"Umn…well you know, I guess if you don't want to I'll just stop and we can forget this ever happened."

I let my words hang limply in the air. Seriously, though how could he just reject _me_ like that? No one's ever done that before…not to me! It's stupid really, but I was suddenly sad and more than slightly offended. I made my way to get off of the bed, embarrassed for my wounded pride. I didn't expect to feel warm fingers wrap around my wrist and tug me back towards the bed. I let my body slide towards him and only then did he actually look me in the eyes. There was uncertainty there, but not enough to mask his determination. And then he kissed me—but on my _fingertips_. He took each of my fingers and touched his mouth lightly to each one. I could only stare. It was the least sexual thing that's ever kept me too entranced to move, but I kept still in rapt attention. And then he stopped, the uncertainty taking over completely as his eyes widened and I began to understand.

So I clasped his fingers in mine and kissed the palms before puppeteering his hands until they were just above my ass. To test his reaction, I shifted up 'til my knees dug into the mattress. My guess was right; his hands never left my butt and he even tightened his grip a little. Taking advantage of my position I removed my shirt and let him drink me in. For the first time in a long time, I saw something that really excited me. I know I look good, but it's an amazing thing to find someone who can_ look at you_, and appreciate your body without making you feel like a piece of meat. Halle really was a shitty way to break my year of abstinence. C'mon, Mail, _remind me why I used to love sex_.

Every touch was awkward but so genuine that I found myself really enjoying it. I was slow, very slow, guiding him so he could learn to move with my body. I let my fingers crawl into the hem of his shirt and just felt the pulse of his heart beating before I helped him out of the fabric. And there we were, jeans and belts and socks keeping us from a potentially wonderful moment of passion, but there wasn't any urgency in our movements. He was ready for it when I kissed him again. Mail even took some initiative by weaving his hands into my hair. The moment I felt his tongue on mine, the gentility slipped into something far less tame.

Body heat is an amazing thing, and I was seriously relishing his hands all over me. I let him suck on the sensitive areas of my torso and fought back vocalizing the tingling that shot through me when his lips brushed my nipples. I swear, I just love being touched.

"Mail! We're going to roll off the bed," I laughed finding my legs pleasantly straddled around his waist as he fumbled to unbuckle my belt. "This thing wasn't built for two people."

He chuckled and I swear his smile reached his eyes before he leaned up and whispered what he probably thought was seductively, "I'm ready when you are."

He paused again at my movements, "Why are you sucking on your fingers?" He asked.

"You got lube?" I smirked at his silence. "That's what I thought. Guys aren't built to be stretched like this so we have to make up for that with some preparation. Now come on, relax. I know what I'm doing. Actually…close your eyes. It'll be easier if you don't look at my face for a few moments. It hurts like a fucking bitch until you get used to it."

Maybe I should I have worded it differently because he suddenly looked less than ready for it. But he closed his eyes dutifully and waited for the touch. I spit a little on my fingers for good measure and went to work with the prepping. Mail's eyes were shut tightly and his chest rose and fell with nervous breathing as he clenched the sheets under his hands. I leaned forward and placed one last peck of reassurance on his nose before I shut my own eyes and slid onto him. I might have laughed at the shocked expression from his eyes flying open, if taking him inside me didn't feel like _shoving a fucking kitchen knife up my ass_.

_Holy shit_ I'd forgotten how much it does hurt. I was grinding my teeth a little, failing at breathing properly. Fuck fuck fucking shit, _damnit_. Baaaad angle. Bad!

"Move." I managed to gasp out, collapsing forward a little, which unfortunately was even more painful.

"Mihael! Why the fuck did you do that?"

He tried to sit up, but ended up just grabbing my arms to support my weight. It wasn't until we started moving that it felt better and I began to relax a bit. He seemed reluctant to make decisions though and I was getting rather impatient. I can't be expected to do _all_ the work!

"Mail, I know losing your virginity feels amazing, but If I'm going to get any pleasure out of this too, I'm going to need you to fucking _move_. "

There was still his lingering question though, "Why…why did you do that? I thought_ you_ were taking _me._"

This time, I did laugh. "It's your first time. _I_ know _my_ body, and I don't want you to hurt me experimenting too much on where to thrust. So I'm showing you myself. Let me guide you. _Then_ let your instincts take over."

"But I don't understand. Why did you take bottom? You look so much in pain." He deadpanned.

Mail's concern was actually rather touching, and I couldn't help but smile for him, but I'm not a porcelain doll and I know what I want and what my limits are and he needed to understand.

"Who said I wasn't enjoying myself? If you're fishing for motives, you seem to have some misconception that it makes me weak because I want to take it up the ass. You're wrong. It has nothing to do with dominance, femininity, any of that _crap_. I'm riding you because to me it feels good." I paused, remembering my only other experiences sleeping with a man. "When I'm with a guy, I _like_ to take it. It…makes me feel complete. Besides, I know how to handle it already and if I were to take you like this, _you_ wouldn't be able to _walk_ tomorrow. As it is, _I'll_ still be able to _dance_ tomorrow. Now shut up and _fuck me_ before we both go flaccid."

It really took a while, but Mail began to gain confidence the closer I brought him to orgasm. It was the most awkward fuck of my life, hands down, but it felt so good when we were both desperate to meet each other's rhythm. It was skin slapping skin and hands clutching, groping, with sweat intermingling until only God could tell what belonged to whom. In the midst my body kept screaming for more contact as if my cells would combust if I couldn't manage to feel more of him. When it hurts, it lasts too long, but oh when it's good, you never want it to end. I ran my tongue against the saline sweat that glistened in broken rivulets below his jaw. The neck is such a fun place to probe with your tongue as it's a pleasure point for most people. Mail wasn't any exception and I smiled at my creation: par-frizzed red hair mussed and sweat-slicked in clunks across a milky forehead that ended in half-lidded eyes of green and lips that wouldn't leave my skin even for air. Sexy. Very very sexy.

And then _I felt it_. He tensed up again and every nerve in my body was screaming at the sudden warmth attacking me inside. Mail came soundlessly, biting his lip as I clutched to him and he held my loins to keep me in place. Again, I was rendered breathless as he slipped away from me, but my groin still needed attention and I wasn't about to let him leave me like that.

"Mail…don't make me finish myself." It wasn't a plea, but there was enough neediness that he responded immediately.

Believe it or not, I never touch myself…but in those few moments before I released, I was seriously relished the warmth of Mail's hand.

When it was over we kind of just lay there. Then something really awkward happened: Mail tried to kiss me again.

"Stop."

He looked at me incredulously, "Why?"

If sleep wasn't already claiming me, I'd have rolled my eyes at him, "If it's foreplay, that's fine because then it's just sex. Anything more and you'll get attached. And I don't do 'attached', got it?"

He nodded slowly to me but I could see he looked a little hurt at my bluntness. Well…that was fine. Better to be honest now so he wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"Now get up and turn the light off so we can get some sleep. We're waking up early tomorrow morning."

He forced himself up and cut all the light from the room before returning to the bed. Honestly, we both didn't fit but I wasn't in a position to move just yet.

"I forget Mihael, why are we waking up early tomorrow?"

I was about to answer him but the heavy breathing told me my answer would fall on deaf ears. Oh well. It's not like I had any personal connection with tomorrow's festivities…It's Parent's Weekend, but it's not like I have any parents to spend it with.

Mail's breathing was the last thing I concentrated on before closing my eyes.

* * *

A/N: Ahem, now isn't Mello a little hypocrite for saying Halle is slut? Yeah, cuz what he's doing is totally not the same thing. Nope, not even close XD

I fucking forgot how much I loved the lemon in this chapter btw. Poor Matt. He's falling so hard, but he's only got the body when he really wants the mind.

Review please? :D


	6. Chapter 5: Cansei de Ser Sexy (Matt POV)

Tearoom Chapter 5: Cansei de Ser Sexy (Matt POV)

Author's Rant: Been. So. Effing. Busy. T_T *collapses from exhaustion* But it's nearly graduation time again, so I obligatorily must waste precious study time by updating this fic. It's just a tradition XD

Music Suggestions: Mamma Mia by Narsha ft. Sunny Hilly (this is in Korean) and Sex(I'm a…) by Berlin and of course, Music is My Hot Sex by CSS (cuz my Matt is Brazillian, damnit)

Warning! This is a test of the Linda Alert Broadcasting System. When you see this message in a chapter, that means there are Lindas afoot. Please be wary by keeping your barf bags at hand. Thank you XD

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**Buzzzzz. Buzzzzzzzzzzz. Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.**

Ugh. Stupid phone. I must have stuck the alarm on vibrate. I don't wanna wake up! Damn piece of shit woke me up from the most amazing wet dream I've ever had in the history of _all_ that is jizz-worthy. God, I've got goose bumps just from thinking about that silky skin beneath my hands. I let my hands grope the blanket around me and damn it was like I could still feel the warmth of Mihael's body as I ran my fingers all across his body.

Wait. _Wait one fucking minute._ My hands really were touching someone!

I blinked in realization and horror…and maybe…excitement? My heart was racing._ Fucking Toadstoole on a Deku leaf_. It wasn't a dream! Oh. My. _Pasta_. My brain was about to fizzle from the sheer magnitude of my realizations.

There were two things I was totally sure of as I watched the light stream in through my curtain and catch on the blond tresses of the other person in my bed: First, I wasn't a virgin anymore. Second, I slept with Mihael.

Cue hysterics.

I had _sex_.

_I_ had sex.

I fucking _fucked._

I slept with someone.

I slept with_ a guy_. The world's_ sexiest_ guy.

With _Mihael_.

I gave my _virginity_ to Mihael.

I pinched myself so I could stop hyperventilating, but damn. Just. Fuuuuuuck. He was still sleeping besides me, his blond hair sticking to my arms and pillow, his face buried in my comforter. Mihael's expression was so blissful and calm, I wanted to press my lips to every inch of his face. _He_ was breathtaking. _Last night_ was breathtaking. _Right now_ was breathtaking. I think I'm love.

_Shit_.

He makes my head swim. I'm dizzy because I can barely breathe looking at this guy and his perfectly silky skin and his sculpted body without getting it up. _Hard_. Hard like the lump in my throat…it just…wasn't fair. For me last night wasn't just about pleasure; I feel some intrinsic connection with him that I can't even begin to describe. I mean, he said all those things about it _just_ being a fuck for fun and all the jazz but…the look in his eyes when I touched him…the way his body moved and responded to me. How could I keep my heart unfettered when we touched each other so intimately? It's strange, I wanted him before he offered because I was attracted to his body, but now that I've had it, I want to cry.

He's in my bed today but he won't be here tomorrow. I was suddenly filled with heavy regret and sadness. How many people has he taken to bed like this? How many people has he joined his body with, only to give it away to person after person, no strings attached?

He must be incredibly lonely.

Because…because just one touch, and I never wanted to stop touching him. Really. Sleeping like that, warm against me, he's vulnerable, safe…

But that's not right. Mihael's so very…_Mihael_. What would he need safety from? And yet I want to protect him. It's absolutely crazy, but I just want to cradle him and let him know that he can let his guard down with me. He can trust me.

Yeah, _right_. He'd probably deck me one if I voiced that aloud. I can't help it though. I _want_ him. I want him all to myself. I want to keep him here like this with me, and give myself to him. I care.

It's heartbreaking because he _isn't_ mine.

Still… This guy is bipolar. First he denies that he's attracted to me, then he attacks my penis with his lips and makes me squirm in a bathroom (so dirty) and _then_ tells me he isn't gay. Then he hears me say I'm a virgin and suddenly it's perfectly fine to _sleep with me_, and not just that, but he took _bottom_ too! What the hell is up with this guy?

Maybe since he's that contradictory…maybe last night doesn't have to be completely non-commital? Gah! I shouldn't get my hopes up.

**Riiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.**

Mihael's eyes snap with sound of an incoming call from my cell. He leans back lazily, pulling his body heat away from me as he blinks, waiting for me to answer it. I'm less than pleased to have his body away from mine. _Damn you, cell phone, haven't you interrupted my morning enough already_?

I flipped it open without even looking at the caller ID, "Hello?"

"Mail, sweetie, I'm waiting in the parking lot, baby. I'm not quite sure where to go to get to your dorm, sugar-honey-dumpling, so can you come get me? It's such a confusing campus. Even with a map I've gotten lost twice this morning!"

My blood froze at the bubbly voice that trickled through the cell. There's only one person in the world capable of spewing such nauseating endearments this early in the morning. _Shit._

Crap. What the hell am I supposed to do? I nearly leapt out of the bed as panic hit me full force.

"Shit! Oh shit!" standing around doing nothing productive wouldn't make my problems go away!_ Do something, Mail!_ You _idiot_. Mihael probably thought I had ADD now.

He cocked one eyebrow at me as I scrambled up and frantically searched for my jeans, which had been thrown carelessly in our…umn our _activities_ last night…I could feel my face heat up, especially when he locked eyes with me. Bastard had a wide grin, like he was mocking me. _Shit_, I didn't have time to be staring at him!

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck. Holy hell!"

"Mail, what is wrong?"

"My mother's here!" I practically screeched at him.

* * *

I had barely entered the parking lot when I was tackled by an unidentifiable mass of red curls and nearly thrown backwards onto the floor.

"Darling! Mumsie's missed you so much! You never call me, you little rascal."

The woman released me from her vice grip and sashayed away from me a bit before pivoting and examining me, "Oh sweetie, you're such a mess. Have you even showered this morning? What have I told you about keeping your appearance up? Presentation is everything!"

I nearly snorted. Presentation, _my ass_! My mother is hardly one for dressing normal. Or even looking remotely _human_. Although today she was nearly passable…well that was only if wearing dresses made from _table-cloths_ was a new style. She'd pinned up her hair in a severe bun and hid the frizziest bits under a zebra print cloche hat. I was immediately repulsed by her pumpkin-colored heels.

Honestly, where did that woman shop? I hurt my eyes looking at her sometimes. At least she'd gone light on the makeup. She tossed me her purse—poodle-shaped, not even joshing—before linking her arm around mine and pressing a small kiss to my cheek.

I patted the top of her head, emphasizing the near foot of height difference, "You're looking umn…healthy, mom. You've lost some weight."

"Ah, you noticed! Well I have gone vegan again. I feel ten years younger and so much more energized with the precious life energy of the planet. I've taken up gardening too. It's so fungus shoe!"

"…do you mean fung shuei?"

She ignored me and continued gushing, "I'm simply pumped right now. Of course, dear, I've been separated from my precious little chickadee for too long and I'm dying to see everything about your college life!"

I had to laugh a little. She may be overly eccentric, but, well, you can't really choose your relatives, now can you? I mean, I do love the woman; she gave birth to me and everything. But we're not like…close. More like, she paid the bills and I ignored her. Yeah, that's our mother-son relationship in a nutshell. That's also why I was so embarrassed to bring her up to my room because uh…I mean, it's the morning after the most important night of my life and I'd kind of like to share it with Mihael and _only_ him. And crap, my room smells like _sex_. And I've never even been _remotely_ bi-curious so I'm sure mom would be more than a little shocked that I've done it with a guy. Hell it was just an embarrassing situation all around.

…situations involving my mother tend to be just that…

I had no idea what to expect once we actually got to my room. As I had been panicking in the aftermath of the phone call, Mihael just laughed at me and told me to go greet my mother. With a devilish smirk, he said he had a plan and for me not to worry about bringing my mother up, that he'd take care of everything.

I just have no idea what he meant by 'taking care' of everything.

Mom's heels made clickety clack sounds in the hallway was we walked towards my dorm, only…no…_ no way_, he didn't.

Oh His Noodleness…_he did!_

"Mail baby, there's a boy standing there in just a towel." My mother oh-so-eloquently pointed out as we got closer to the hall's end.

Yeah._ Blond sex god_ standing outside my room in nothing more than a towel, water dripping from his soaked hair and trickling down his torso…

Crap. Not the place to get all excited.

"Mail! There you are! I've been standing here like an idiot for a while now. I kept knocking but I figured you were sleeping," he slipped his fingers through his hair, feigning exasperation. "So you left your room? Did you forget I was here?"

He made a big show of blinking and 'noticing' my mother who was standing there gaping at him like a fish.

"Who's that?" he nudged me innocently. Yeah, innocent as a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Umn…Mihael, this is my mom." I turned to her, "Mom, this is Mihael."

Oh great, my mother was blushing and looking him up and down. I cannot believe this woman! She was actually checking him out! Cripes, woman, he's half your age! Have _some_ shame. Okay, so I was doing the same thing, but that's not the point, damn it.

Mihael extended his hand towards her and she took it hesitantly, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jeevas."

"Ohhh…uh p..please, it's uh…actually just Ms. Jeevas but… you can j…ju…just call me Linda," she sputtered. Real smooth, mom. _Real_ smooth.

"Sugar dough, you didn't tell me you had a roomie. And here I've been worried about you being all alone."

"Mom! Do. Not. Call. Me. Sugar dough. Please, I have some manly pride." Damn, the way Mihael's eyes were sparkling, I just knew he was going to use that as blackmail later.

"Ah, no, you're quite mistaken Ms. Linda. I'm not his roommate, but last night I was practically collapsing from exhaustion after practicing for my dance performance, and Mail was kind enough to let me spend the night in his dorm since it's a lot closer to the practice hall than where I live."

"Oh, you're so nice, Mail. Always generous like that…" Oh, _shut up mother_. Please. "But the poor dear's been standing here all soaking wet! Show some manners and let him in your room to put some clothes on, baby!"

I pulled my room card out and swiped it on the door, fully expecting there to be clothes strewn all over the floor and for the bed sheets to be a mess. However, the bed was neat and tidy…with _clean sheets_. And the entire room seemed to be in order. I turned to Mihael who just winked at me. So that's what he meant. Huh. And then he showered to get rid of the evidence. Smart bastard.

Mihael slipped into his leather quickly before my mom came into the room and we chatted a little bit. He was being overly polite to her, and just kept grinning all the time, which made me awfully suspicious. I swear, he was just tallying up all the things he could blackmail me with later! That guys wears charm like a body glove or something. Mom was happy that I had friends and was training to be part of the Delta Justice frat…or maybe she was just really taken in with Mihael. Not really sure to be honest, but I couldn't wait for her to leave. Fortunately for me, she had to go back to her hotel room for her allergy meds, so she didn't stay too long.

_Unfortunately_, Mihael offered for her to come see the Parents' Weekend festivities we were supposed to help with in the afternoon, so I wasn't rid of her for the day. And everyone else would meet her too. Internally, I was cringing.

As soon as she was gone though, as predicted, Mihael began poking fun at me, "_Sugar dough_. Seriously?"

"Sh..shut up."

I was saved from further ridicule by his cell phone ringing.

"What is it, Mikami? Make your own breakfast. I don't care if Beyond's here. What do you mean, the oven exploded? Don't tell me you let Nate use it again?" he sighed in exasperation, "Look, just don't touch anything else, alright? I'll be right over."

"What happened?" I raised an eyebrow at him

"Some idiot thought it was a good idea to let Nate make breakfast…and the little prick broke the stove. So now I gotta go buy some shit so they have stuff to feed everyone 'cuz L's embarrassed not being able to feed Beyond and blah blah blah blah…they're utterly useless without me."

I blinked, "What was he trying to make?"

"Lucky Charms."

"…"

Holy shit, he was_ serious_.

* * *

A/N: I cut the chapter here because the next sequence needs to follow Mello POV. XD

Linda gets less annoying after meeting Halle.

Would anyone like to be part of a discussion/spoiler forum for this story? I'm considering making on on the He Moves Me differently Website.

Review please? :O


	7. Chapter 6: Conspiracy Theories,Mello POV

Tearoom Chapter 6: Conspiracy Theories (Mello POV)

A/N:

I had this planned out for a long time. Promise, I have the entire fic planned to the last chappie, but like when I sat down to write this, Weddy had a mind of her own and decided to change the plot like OMG, it's not even close to where I had intended! O_O She was supposed to start off as this innocent little angel and progress her way towards badass…but *gulp* she wasn't having it apparently XD. So actually…nothing turned out how I planned it. For one thing…Matt was supposed be in the chapter, and Near and BB weren't…but uh…unexpected inspiration ftw?

Also, unlike pretty much all the other chapters which run in several vignettes, this one runs seamlessly together as one scene. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

Ahem, that being said…uh…there's a LOT of backstory here, so don't get lost on me, aight? Last chapter was some comic relief, but there's a heavier tone shift here that…not even *I* was expecting…XD

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When I pulled up to the parking garage, there was already a motorbike in my parking space, which frankly, pissed me off. I crept alongside it before cutting the engine and yanking my helmet off.

I don't like Harleys; they're show bikes with no class. You spend half your time with the maintenance and the performance is total shit. The men who ride them think they're roadside warriors, but their rides are all shine and no power. I'd never touch one of those heaps of metallic junk. I resisted the urge to key up the sorry excuse for a motorcycle and just parked.

But I didn't get off. Simply didn't want to.

With a heavy sigh, I stared back at the reflection in my helmet. Walking back inside that house meant returning to reality, which seriously, I didn't want to.

Teru just _had_ to go and ruin my fun relaxing escape from duty with that phone call! I would have stayed there longer with Mail if I could. This had been a great morning. I was seriously going to blackmail him with some of those pet names Linda Jeevas had for him. He has no idea how wonderful he has it with that little doting mother of his. I would love to have a spazzy mother like that…or _any_ kind of mother, as long as she was living.

She was so nice, even it looked like she'd dressed herself in the dark.

It really had been a nice morning and I was still a bit energetic, not entirely down from my sex high. Mail was pretty good, for a virgin. I hadn't had a lay like that in a long time. I wouldn't be opposed to doing it again with him actually, granted he didn't get all _clingy._ Lord knows the last thing I need is _another_ Halle.

I suddenly felt a little guilty because _the look_ had been there. That…that look. I don't know exactly what was in it, but I didn't like it. Mail couldn't get the wrong idea about me. Last night was about fun. Pleasure. I _don't do_ relationships anymore, especially since alone, I have enough emotional baggage for three people.

Well, if it comes up, I'll just have to be straight with him. I can't help it that half the world is in love with me. I'm Mihael and I belong to no one. I am tethered to none, thank you.

**_Bzzz. Bzzz._**

_Damn my cell phone_. I didn't even bother pulling it out of my pocket, I just set my helmet on the bike and strode towards the front door.

I didn't want to go into the house. Lord knows what kind of mess would be waiting for me inside. I shuddered at the thought of the many drunk and half-naked bodies that were probably strewn pell-mell across the floor or the landing...or the stairs…oh _fucking hell_ no one better have taken up in one of our rooms thinking they could use the beds…

I cringed in anticipation as I opened up the door, fully expecting the place to be thrashed…but the only person around was Misa. I blinked at her as she arranged some couch cushions and turned to smile at me, still shrouded in her nun costume.

"Where's everybody, Misa?" I indicated the utterly vacant living room.

"Oh! Misa's Raito asked Misa to watch over the guests last night." She jingled a jar filled with keys at me, "No drunk drivers! Most of the guests are upstairs on cots and pillows, still sleeping off the hangover."

Poor Misa, having to play baby-sitter just because Light said so!

"But Misa, you're a guest here too." I pointed out to her.

She simply shrugged at me and continued arranging the furniture pieces.

The silence was a little awkward.

"Umn… someone took my parking space. Who came here on a Harley?"

At this, Misa tensed and avoided my eyes, "I umn…Misa knows nothing. Just don't go into the kitchen!"

"Yeah, Teru called me earlier. Nate busted the stove or something?"

The blonde just ignored me. _Okaaay_. Weird shit just getting _weirder_.

Honestly, how bad a mess could he have made? I made my way to the kitchen and slid the door open, hoping I wasn't going to regret it.

"Alright, so what's the damage that Nate did to the…" the sight that greeted me, nearly took my breath away.

There were people in the kitchen all right, and the stove was definitely in working order because I could smell eggs frying on the burner. But I didn't care about the cookware.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the creamy flesh of a pair of toned legs as they stretched across the kitchen table, naked toes curled inwards as she shifted in her red sundress. It_ had_ to be an apparition. Surely, _she_ couldn't really be there, not in my kitchen, smiling without a care in the world. I didn't want to look at her face, but I couldn't help myself as her slender fingers carelessly tugged away at her sunglasses and she bore her steely eyes at me. She tucked a few strands of her blonde hair behind her ears before smacking her lips together in a devilish smile. I always _have_ hated red lipstick.

"I come all the way here to visit you and you're mumbling about your housemate. How rude. I expected at least a 'hello'. You've certainly grown, darling little Mihael."

I wanted to cry. I _seriously_ wanted to cry. I shut my eyes but I felt fingers slide against my cheek, catching every tear.

"I thought you were dead." I whispered, shying away from her touch.

I didn't want to touch her. _It_. The apparition. Because she was _dead_. Dead and _gone_ from my life. _Dead_ and I didn't want her ghost here haunting me. Damn it, but if she was dead, then why could I feel her hands caressing my skin?

"No tears for me, 'kay baby? Seriously. It's not like I'm the resurrected Christ here."

"You're supposed to be dead."

"I assure you that I am very much alive."

I didn't know whether to be pissed or relieved or just shocked out of coherency. I just sort of buried my nose into her shoulder as she drew me close and I could feel her heartbeat pulsing.

Thirteen years. It had been _thirteen years_ since I touched her skin, smelled her smell, held her…cried into her.

_My Merrie_. It was a miracle, truly, but if it was a dream, I never wanted to wake up.

My whole life changed after Merrie died. For one thing, my mother grew bold enough to pack our things and ran away from my…_my_…I don't like _calling_ him that, but well…_my father_. My mother and I ran away from my father _after_ Merrie died. It was our only opportunity to leave a bad situation, what with my father grieving over his oldest child's death and all. But I think I was far more devastated than he was to learn about her death. I still remember when I was summoned to hear the news. Her mother was there, bawling and cursing at me, yelling at God for taking her child and not_ me_, the illegitimate bastard kid of her husband's mistress. But I loved my half-sister. More than _anyone else,_ I loved Merrie.

She never looked down on me like I was just a half-sibling. In her eyes, I wasn't_ the other woman's son_. She never treated me like an annoying brat, even though I was nearly ten years younger than her. When I was with Merrie, I wasn't the skinny good-for-nothing piece of shit bastard who the neighborhood kids picked on. The disappointment and shame in my father's eyes never showed in Merrie's. For her, I was just Mihael.

My father was sending her to spend a summer in Scotland with relatives, to improve her English. The plane never made it to the destination; it crashed into the water before it could reach ground. When they told me she'd died, I was in utter denial. It, well, it hurt _so_ badly.

And we ran away like that, my mother having to deal with my distraught heart as we changed cities to live near her childhood best friend so they could fulfill their dream of creating music together.

Three years later I lost her to the fire. Nate and I lost _everything_ in that fire.

I lost _myself_ in that fire.

And I've never loved another person since. Not after losing my sister and my mother.

"How are you alive?" I finally choked out, "The autopsy! They'd identified you and everything!"

She chuckled, "I'm sorry I had to go as far as to fake my own death,but there was no other way of getting away from our father. I had to get out of there Mihael. You knew that more than anyone else."

I couldn't help but cringe. _Desperation_. Desperation led my sister to running away and faking her death. My father was a cruel man and took out much of his frustration on Merrie. My mother and I didn't live in the same house as Merrie, our father, and her mother, so I'm sure it was worse than she ever let on…she was always covered in cuts and bruises. Much of it to protect me from him.

"Ahem."

I only took my attention off of her when someone cleared their throat, drawing me away from my memories and my past and _my Merrie_.

I had, notably neglected the man sitting on the table. A remarkable oversight considering the man's appearance: the tatty jeans and white shirt were nothing special, but his hair…_his hair_ was like a ratted mess of black, jutting out in all directions as it covered more than half of his charred face. His arms, his hands, every exposed inch of his skin was warped from heavy burns. Instinctively, I took a step away, not wanting to be in the man's direct aura. He locked eyes with me, and I saw no emotion in his.

Complete emptiness.

_Beyond Birthday_. He was not at all like my expectations.

_This_ was the man who held most of L's respect?

"Okay, now that we're all done with the pleasantries, can we get down to business here? Heartwarming as your reunion may be, Wedy we can't dillydally on such trivialities."

"Of course."

Wait.

What. The. Fuck?

"Merrie, what's going on?"

"Merrie? Please, I haven't gone by Merrie Kendal in years. It's Wedy now. And BB is quite right. I didn't come here to cuddle you and swap stories of nostalgia."

After wiping fake tears from her eyes, she pulled me close into a very tight embrace, crushing me with her arms as if she wanted to break me in half, "Let's get one thing straight, little brother. Merrie's dead. There's only Wedy now, and you are of no more interest to her than what she can use you for. When we were young, you used me as a shield from _daddy dearest_. Now it's my turn to use you."

I stiffened in her arms as she increased the pressure from the embrace, digging her long nails into the skin of my arms.

I swallowed. What was she talking about?

"What do you want from me?"

The woman regarded the floor for a moment before crossing her arms, "I want to kill him, Mihael. I want to make him suffer for the fucked up crap he put me through growing up. I want his money, his position, his power,his blood stained across my fingertips! Shit, I've worked my entire life for the moment to take that bastard down, but in order to do that, I need to hit him where he's weakest. He always had a soft spot for _you_, you know? That's why he never once hurt you like he did with me or our mothers. I met BB in my search for you. Call it destiny, but Beyond and I have plan to take him down. That's how I'm here. I need you, whether you want to cooperate or not."

"Do you hate _me_?"

"Yes." She simply spat venom.

You could feel the ice in the air.

And then came the first blow.

It happened so fast I didn't have time to react, or really register anything other than the pounding of my own pulse as my face met the tile. She struck me repeatedly before my instincts kicked in and I covered my face. Every time her fist made contact with my skin, I felt smaller and smaller.

"Merrie, stop!"

"Shut up!"

She was crying now, I could feel the moisture dropping on my skin and she threw her whole body on me and thrashed in any way she could, kicking, clawing, biting. And I couldn't guard against any of it. My abdomen was going to bruise like a bitch.

"Merrie!"

"Don't call me that!" she put less and less energy into it.

I took every blow. I couldn't stop her. It just seemed right. She could beat all my love for her out of me if she wanted to.

"Let it all out," I whispered, until someone caught her wrist and I winced into myself.

"That's enough," B said.

I was lifted and set into a chair next to someone who put their arm around me. I leaned against him and recognized the scent; it was Nate.

L sat across from us, between Wedy and Beyond.

No one said a word.

I was crying.

Nate was holding me.

Reality was fucked.

"Clean your face, Mihael. You look ghastly."

My face was wiped for me. It was probably Nate…no one else touched me with such gentility. I didn't know what was going on anymore. Nothing made sense.

"Get out, Merrie. Get the fuck out before I come to my senses and call the fucking cops to drag you out of here."

Some reunion. I could feel nothing, although I was sure that somewhere my nonexistent heart was being run over by a steamroller.

Nate's voice seemed far away when he spoke, "We aren't in a position to refuse. None of us. Not unless we want blood on our hands."

What was this, _The Twilight Zone_?

"I'm in shock. But I haven't completely lost my faculty of reasoning here. I'm hearing plans for a goddamn conspiracy theory here. Revenge, theft, murder, what is it you're asking us to be a part of? And I better hear a damned good answer or I'm calling the cops on your asses."

My sister shifted in her chair before folding her hands on the table. "I shouldn't have hit you. I'm sorry for losing my composure like that. But, fuck it, you don't really have a choice in the matter...I am not someone who is under the radar of the law, but I have my connections and my people and I will have your cooperation or..." She bent her fingers into the shape of an air gun and pointed her hand at me, making a little 'pow' sound with her lips.

She then stood up and reached for a bag on the floor, pulling out a manila folder, "I've been planning the asshole's downfall since before I faked my death. And everyone else at the table has something to gain from helping me, including you. Financially, we all stand to make a lot of money from this deal. Emotionally...there's are lot of revenge to be had. Take a look at Beyond's skin. He made a bad business deal with _daddy dearest_ and was _burned alive_. He barely survived. I know what happened to _your mother_. Do you think it was an _accident_ that Alicia Keehl and Nastacia River were _also_ burned alive? Father ordered a hit on them."

"What?" She..._it had to be a lie_. My mother died in an _accident_!

L raised his hand at me, beckoning silence.

Wedy continued, after throwing the manila folder in my direction. "_Daddy Dearest_ goes by Rabbi these days. He's crawled his way into the hearts and wallets of some of the most influential Semitic leaders in Palestine and is orchestrating them from a remote location off the coast of the Rublic of Tanzania. He's moved around in the smuggling world, and has much prestige by now among several high profile mafia families. But he's going for the kill this time. I'm not talking drugs or human trafficking. He's going for the untapped _gold reserves_. The international black market on _gold_. We're talking widespread pandemonium here, throwing the world's economies into turmoil."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, "Are you fucking out of your mind?"

L slammed his teacup on the table, "You don't seem to understand your position here, Mihael. I, this fraternity, owns you and your very life."

My head was spinning. Just...twirlywigs and pink flamigos. Fucked up shit all around. I swear, it had to to be some kind of nightmare.

"Say I go along with this crazy shit proposal, what the fuck do you actually plan on doing?"

At this, Beyond's lips curled into a smile, "Open the folder, say hello to the devil. We've got it all outlined."

I slid the folder open and flipped through the contents. Lots of it was information on what my father had been up to over the past ten years. I stopped at photograph and pulled it out, scrutinizing it. We looked nothing alike, the man in the picture and I, but without a doubt, it was him. My father...a man who I held in deep contempt.

Under the picture in scrawled handwriting was simply: _current alias, Rod Ross_.

I read through but hardly took much of it in, the plan to take him down seemed too complex, too criminal, too out of league for ordinary people like us. I straight out laughed at some parts, which called for someone of _extreme_ tech savvy.

"And which of you is a _hacker_? Or how else do you plan on getting half this shit done?"

The corner of L's lips twitched slightly, "You don't honestly believe we recruited Mail Jeevas to Delta Justice for his community service record, do you?"

Oh.

Ohhhh.

_Fuck._

* * *

A/N: This is a side-plot to the main plot. I'm not going all crazy with tangents, my loves. Trust, me it's all in good fun.


	8. Chapter 7: NES, Part 1 (MATT POV)

Tearoom Chapter 7: NES, Part 1 (MATT POV)

A/N: What, did you think the NES in the title stood for "Nintendo Entertainment System"? XD Noooope hahahaha

JUST FYI, when I start to drastically change the material/post stuff you've never seen before in this story, I will make a note in the A/N, kay? Because I have been makings subtle changes along the way, but nothing drastic. I definitely plan on it though so stay tuned.

IN OTHER NEWS, **I graduated from UCLA this past weekend**! HELL FUCKING YEAH BABY! Dance with me, readers, DANCE! Dance, or I no post chappies *mwahahaha*

Disclaimer: Street Fighters II and omg, CHUN FUCKING LI baby, was my first fighting game ever. Still ranks on my list as one of the top games ever made in the history ever. Go play! Get your ass off the comp and GO GO GO!

* * *

I had to push the great conundrum that is Mihael out of the forefront of my mind. And, loathe as I was to admit, the only thing bothering me _more_ was the little detail of trying to survive the day _without getting embarrassed to death_ by my mother. Because, well for the love of Peach, she's my _mother_ goddamnit!

I slipped my cell into my back jean's pocket before waving goodbye to my dorm room. As totally spazzy as it sounds, I found that I was suddenly fond of it, for being…y'know just _geometric space_. Like _my_ geometric space. Mail's personal _Bat Cave_. Yeah, I liked the sound of that. Oh, if walls could speak, t_he stories they'd tell_. Shutting that door seemed almost like denying everything that had taken place in that room.

I'm becoming a sentimental fool.

Is that even okay? You know, having sex isn't anything at all like I imagined it to be. It was _nothing_ like what the guys used to describe in their 'exploits'. Of course, _they_ were all banging_ chicks_ in their cars and getting hand jobs behind burger joints, but I had Mihael's words on repeat in my head. 'Don't be selfish your partner. When they're feeling good, you'll feel good too.' It ran so contrary to everything my buds used to say and I began to wonder, in some really twisted way, was I the 'girl' last night?

Everything else I did seemed so…mechanical. I wasn't even thinking about the route I was walking, my feet were simply plotting movements until I nearly walked into someone.

"Ah, sorry. My bad. Matsuda? What are you doing here?" I blinked at my dark-haired co-worker.

"Umn…Mail…we work here."

Oh. Right. _Awkward_. I swear, fucking _autopilot_. I didn't even notice that I'd walked right into the campus arcade. _Fuck_, I'm distracted.

Or maybe I just needed a distraction. _Badly_. As in a button-mashing pixilated kind of distraction. I looked around…plenty of distractions waiting for me…

_Hello_ Street Fighters II Rom! I challenged Matusda to a round, but he's hopeless at fighting games. It's not my fault if he can't dodge Chun Li's lighting kick. He gave up so I just played through story mode until I felt a pinch at my shoulder.

"Ow!" slapping the hand away, I turned to Matsuda who had an eyebrow raised at me.

"Mail, I've been calling your name for like a whole minute, dude. You're wanted at the door." He paused before removing his hand, "Something the matter? You're spacing out badly."

What could I do but brush him off? "I'm cool. Just midterm stress, and then my mom's here for the weekend…"

He nodded sympathetically and pushed me away from where I sat, then promised to clean up my mess too. I turned towards the glass doors of the arcade to see a rather upset person tapping their fingers on the main gaming counter.

Now, I'm not sure what's scarier, the fact that _white_ is Nate's natural hair color or the fact that the shorty was holding a fucking _baseball bat_ and there was _blood_ on his shirt.

"Umn…'Sup?" I waved cautiously, not taking my eye off of the instrument in his hands.

"Oh this?" he swung the bat upwards with a little more force than I would have liked, "This is for later."

Oh yeah. Totally didn't sound ominous. Not at all.

"Anyways, Mail, I need you to come with me right now to the House. Frat emergency."

"Umn…You do know there's blood on you, right?"

Nate glanced down where the red drops stained across his white shirt before snapping his fingers, "Crap, he bled on me."

I laughed a little nervously, "_He?_ Not _your_ blood then. You didn't kill someone with that bat, did you?"

He only smiled and beckoned me to follow him.

I didn't like where this was going.

* * *

"Mail, I need you to sit down."

I was in the kitchen of the Delta Justice frat house, alone with Nate. Everyone else was either in their room or out on some errand for the Parents' Weekend activities. It was a little odd for me because I wasn't very comfortable around Nate. I spent a lot more time around the other members, like _Mihael_ for instance.

Not that that kind of quality time is comparable. _Ahem._

I cleared my throat, "So uh…Nate, what's up? You said there was some kind of emergency?"

I couldn't help but eye the blood stain on his shirt. It kinda creeped me out.

Nate sighed, "I'll change the shirt seeing as you can't seem to concentrate on anything else."

We got up from the table and exited into the main foyer where we climbed up the spiral of the stairs. When we turned towards his and Mihael's room, I was a little thrown off by an absolutely _gorgeous_ blonde woman who was sitting rather aloof on the floor near the door. Her legs were shockingly pale, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from where the flesh led, since she was, well…sitting cross-legged _in a dress_.

_Hah_…yeah…those umn…_panties_, left nothing to the imagination. Nothing...umn…_waaah_. _Brain, where art thou_? This woman was seriously endowed…_like fuck_. Those boobs made Halle's look meager.

"Hey there, Ginger."

I blushed at her, quickly trying to avert my eyes from how they wandered to anywhere but her face. Yeah _that_ was a doomed mission. She didn't seem to mind though.

"I don't think we've met before? My name is Wedy." She flipped her cropped blonde hair before extending her hand my way, which I took so she could use me as an anchor to stand up.

"I…I'm Mail—"

"Jeevas. Yeah. I know you." She flicked her manicured nails against my cheek harshly. "I know all about you, so don't you even think of forgetting about me, got it?"

She didn't even wait for a reply, she just winked and walked away, swinging her hips as she walked down the stairs—barefoot.

"Who was that?" I turned to Nate, who seemed uncomfortable with the suddenly awkward atmosphere.

"That was Merr—Wedy. She's, well, it's not really important right now _who_ she is, so much as what she's capable of and…she's…someone you don't want to mess with. That's all. Just…avoid her if you can, okay?"

Umn…okay? Mysterious shit is mysterious.

"I'm gonna change my shirt, why don't you just wait here. _The diva's_ not in a good mood presently and wouldn't appreciate being seen."

He turned the knob on the door and immediately a notebook flew out of the opening, followed by a scream, "GET THE FUCK OUT!"

That was, undeniably, the scariest I'd ever heard Mihael's voice. Following the notebook was a shoe, presumably Nate's, and several empty water bottles. Nate tried to duck each item unsuccessfully and finally just swung the whole door open to reveal a rather livid Mihael, puffy-eyed and red-faced. I nearly stepped back in shock, because he not only had a bloody nose, but what looked like the beginnings of a black eye and his hair was a mess.

"Mihael, what happened to you?"

He took one look at me, opened his mouth, closed it, then rounded on Nate, "What he fuck is Mail doing here? I thought I made it very clear that the bitch's business has _nothing to do with him_. Don't involve outsiders in _our_ shit, Nate."

Nate pushed right past him towards an armoire in the corner and just pulled out a plain shirt from a drawer near the bottom before remarking, "If you would learn to contain yourself, he wouldn't be standing in our doorway wondering at how crazy you seem. I only came to change my shirt," he paused to point his finger at the blond in an almost threatening way, "which if you seem to have forgotten, _you_ bled on earlier. Stop crying, you look like a mess."

I felt immobile, watching the scene unfold around me, like if I'd just walked in on something secretive and in its own world. Whatever I was thinking earlier about Mihael and any kind of connection we could have made last night…shattered. I, rather clearly, was not wanted in this space, in this situation, in this…whatever in the name of Toad 'it' was! But at the same time, it hurt. I don't really know but it just hurt to see Mihael like that. I didn't even think about it, I just moved by instinct and threw my arms around him.

He stiffened immediately, but said nothing, so neither did I. We stayed like that for a bit until he relaxed and just let me hold him. I could feel so many emotions seem to just pop out of his skin. It was crazy that a person could even 'feel' and 'be' so many different things at once. Finally, he pushed me off gently and grabbed my face between his hands.

"Did you see that bitch outside?"

I wasn't sure how to react, he was holding my jaw so forcefully, and his eyes looked so…pained. I just nodded so he could continue.

"Right. You see _me_? You see the marks on my skin? She did this, and it's _nothing_ compared to what she could do," he lowered his eyes, "to anybody that she gets close to."

He let me go and just stood there, stony expression. I wanted to back away from the stony stare but he held my gaze. I was terrified of Mihael in that moment. He seemed like an abused panther in that moment, full of danger and pain. But the scariest thing of all was how utterly cold his eyes were. Completely unfeeling. I could see the bruises that were going to form on his cheek, around his eye, the bits of blood dried and crusted from his nose and on his lips…It broke my heart. It drained all the happy out of me.

"This is nothing," he continued.

He let his body fall onto one of the two beds in the room before continuing, "That woman. You just stay away from her, understand? Because this is nothing. If you know what's good for you, you'll pretend like there's nothing wrong, okay? It has nothing to do with you."

"Mihael, if there's something wrong, you can tell me. Maybe I can hel—"

"Mail, don't push it. C'mon, there are things I need you to do. Leave the diva alone for now." Near had changed his shirt while Miheal was talking to—err—at me.

"One more thing Mail," I turned my head to him as he pushed himself into a sitting position, "Last night was fun. Let's do it again sometime."

My eyes widened like saucers but I didn't have a chance to respond because Nate grabbed me and pulled me out of the room. We walked down the stairs in silence as I tried to make sense everything I had just seen. But _none_ of it made a dime of sense. For one, did Mihael just ask me to s_leep with him again_?

"Alright, Nate, I think I'm entitled to a few explanations here. What the fuck was all that about, and what the hell happened to Mihael?"

The boy stopped and looked at me curiously before replying, slowly, "While it really isn't any of your business, I'll tell you _some_ things, if you tell me where Mihael was and what he was doing _last night_."

Shit.

"Well we went to visit Light's sister at the hospital. And then we uh…crashed at my place after."

Nate stared at me before pushing me against the wall and slamming his hands on either side of my arms.

"You fucked him didn't you?"

_Jesus_, that was direct. But he didn't stop there.

"And now you're scared shitless, aren't you? Because you can't quite sort out your feelings and you're scared that it meant nothing to him and everything to you."

_Dear Noodleness in the sky_, is he psychic? I just kind of stared, open-mouthed at him.

He backed off and ran his fingers through his fringe, "No, he didn't tell me anything. It was just a guess. To be honest, I'm actually surprised. Well, not that you went along with it, but that he let you in the first place. You do know he's_ not_ gay, right? C'mon into the kitchen. You look like you could use some food."

Once in the kitchen, Nate simply laughed at my expression. "Here, eat a muffin. Look, I know I'm being a little invasive here, but I have a serious problem on my hands and I think you can help me."

I took a bite of my muffin. Pumpkin flavored.

"That woman you saw earlier? Let's just say we've got some issues with her. Mihael _and I_, but _he_ more than I even want to know. He sat here this morning and let her bitch-slap him until her hands were red and it's not even my place to question it. In short, she's blackmailing us. And as you heard him say rather forcefully, Mihael doesn't want me to involve outsiders. So, you'd be doing me a favor if you just pushed that out of your mind _for now_."

I really, really didn't like where this was going. What kind of blackmail could be so serious that Mihael would sit and let someone beat the shit out him without him fighting back? And a _chick_ too for that matter!

"Actually, I'm more interested in something else. Why'd he sleep with you?"

I wasn't quite anticipating the sudden change in subject, "What's it to_ you_?"

"Look, Mail, I know you're into him. Whenever you're within two yards of the guy you glue your eyes to his _ass_. I get it, okay? This isn't the Spanish inquisition. I just want to know if you've formed _feelings_."

I stared at my muffin, because it was hard to look Nate in the face, "I don't know. I can't stop thinking about him, to a point where it almost makes me sick, but at the same time, I'm kind of scared. It feels wrong to want to keep him all to myself and to want to call him mine, like if it cages his freedom or something. Last night was incredible. Fuck, he was amazing, but he also made it fairly clear that he didn't have any feelings involved on his side. As emo as sounds, it really hurts to think that he can easily be that intimate with just _anyone_. I sound like an idiot, I know."

Surprisingly, Nate didn't laugh at me. Rather, he was scrutinizing me intently.

Then he blew air out and smiled weakly, "I hope I'm not making the wrong decision here." He exhaled deeply, "Mail, I've got just one more question. What kind of person do you think he sees you as?"

"To be honest? I don't know. Right now, I feel a little emasculated to be honest."

Now Nate straight out laughed, "Mihael has that quality which can seem to…render people completely _genderless_. When you're with him, you're _not_ a man, _or_ a woman, but just _a person_. So yes, I'd say it's very natural if you're feeling emasculated right now. Nobody understands that man better than I. I understand my ex-boyfriend better than he can even understands himself. It's one of the reasons I broke up with him, and one of the reasons why he can't stand to be away from me even _if_ he's convinced that he hates me."

"Wait, you and Mihael used to _date_?" I seriously failed to see how those two could ever been romantically involved.

"Yes. I broke it off, because at some point, I realized that I actually loved him and we _were_ miserable together. Don't misunderstand me, I was never actually _in love_ with him, but I _do_ love him. We're somewhat like brothers. He doesn't realize it himself, but he actually loves me too. Or more likely, I'm like an object towards which he directs his mixed feelings and memories of love for his mother. I'm like his living safety blanket. We used to live near each other when we were little because our mothers were friends and worked together. One day," Nate paused the finger the table cloth, lost in his memories.

I watched as he reached deep into his shirt and pulled out a rustic looking locket that hung around his neck. He slipped it over his head and handed it to me with all the tenderness of handling an infant. I clicked the little lock open to see a faded sepia photograph of a woman at a piano.

"That was my mother's prized possession, that piano. Mihael's mom would write the music and my mother would play it. Sometimes, I'd sit in their studio and learn the songs too. But we lost everything in a fire. The only reason Mihael and I are alive right now is because we weren't in the actual building. In a way, we're all the other has to remember the past by. The very presence of each other is both painful and comforting, but I'm ready to live _my own_ life. I need to be away from Mihael. I can't do that until I'm sure he can stand on his own though. He'll never admit it, but it's unhealthy how dependent he is on my very existence. I didn't even want to come to this college, I'm just here because…because I can't leave him until he's ready to let go. You heard me playing a song on my violin the first time you came here. I am the only living person who knows how to play that song. It's the last piece his mother composed, but I never learned the ending and until the song is played to its end, he can't let me go."

Suddenly, I felt very very small. I can't even fathom what kind of lives Mihael and Nate must have gone through and I couldn't help but feel ashamed that the worst thing I've ever gone through is the chicken pocks. Well my mom's given me some scares over the years, to the effect that neither of drink alcohol anymore, but she's still with me!

"I'm not trying to bury the past behind me, but I don't want live like my entire existence revolves around my mother's death. And I don't want to be held back just because Mihael can't let go. I need to finish the song. I need to make an ending for it."

"What's holding you back?" I put my hand out and rested it against his.

"The song! It's Mihael's song. I mean, it was composed to follow him. His mother wrote every chord to represent his every expression, every emotion. Remember how I said I understand him better than anyone else? It's because I know that song inside out, and through it, I came to know and understand Mihael. But the ending isn't something I can just reproduce, because it contains a part of him that I've never even seen before. In theory, if I could see the feelings in his eyes, I could compose the ending…"

"Which emotion is that?"

"Why it's the simplest and most complicated of all things anyone can feel. Unconditional _love_."

I think I was starting to understand what Nate was getting at.

"You want…you want him to fall in love with me?"

He nodded, "I can't handle this responsibility anymore. I need help. I may not look it but I'm a really good judge of people's characters. Your words don't say it but I can tell that you're crazy about him. Mihael's not the kind to just let people into his heart, but I want to believe that you can do it. For everyone's happiness."

Well…shit.

* * *

Parent's Weekend. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo. As if I r_eally_ wanted to meet Mikami's mother and kiss ass to some random old dude people kept calling Mr. Wammy. I don't know, L just kept nudging me to keep my head up and be polite. I couldn't be bothered, because all I could do was think about Mihael (who hadn't spoken a single word to me about this morning). Surprisingly he was there at most of the events, noticeably covered in face makeup to hide his bruises. The rest of the day wore on in a bit of a blurr and somehow I found myself sitting in the Delta Justice living room, holding my mother's hand as the other guys and their parents sat around eating cookies and drinking punch. And to be honest, I couldn't hold my attention to anything, not even mom in her outrageous pumpkin-colored pumps.

That is, until Halle showed up an hour later and began nearly harassing my mother about some crazy _modeling_ shit. Mom was getting really annoyed but Halle would not let up, she was nearly making a scene. L ushered the Yagamis and several of the other parents outside, promising them…actually I have no idea _what_ excuse he actually gave them, because I was trying to keep my mother from throwing her punch at Halle. Nearly everyone left, a fact which Halle only used to magnify her voice.

"You were one of the best! You must have all these stories and tips to give! Please, you've got to tell me. I'm a big fan of your past work."

When I'd had enough of her vague drunken nonsense, I rounded on her, "Halle, what the fuck are you rambling about?"

She just ignored me.

"You were featured in the special edition '_Tiny Tits Have Character_'. I remember it, because it's the spread that inspired me to want to create adult films. You're an icon in the porn industry! Where have you been hiding all this time?"

"Look, I have no idea what you're talking about. Please leave me alone, little girl." My mom nearly screamed back.

I grabbed Halle's arm and pushed her away from my mother, who looked about ready to cry. I mean, seriously, it was getting beyond ridiculous.

"Halle, are you fucking drunk or something?" This time Misa was looking at her like she was crazy.

She pulled out her iPhone and started pulling up pictures on her search engine before shoving it at our faces, "Are you going to deny it even with picture proof? Are you? Well?"

I admit, I was startled a bit, because on Halle's phone there were half-nude shots of a really attractive blonde woman in really suggestive positions, but I had to laugh. She couldn't seriously think that the lady on the internet was my mother, right? For one, my mom's a redhead, and for two…it was just ridiculous.

"Halle, I think you're really really confused. I don't know who that chick is, but it's not my mother."

Halle shoved the phone at my mom, who took a look at it and then fell right to the floor, covering her eyes with her hands.

"_Mom_. Mom! What's wrong? Mom?"

And then she did that thing where her lip quivers uncontrollably and she threw herself into the fetal position, "That's not me anymore! I'm not like that anymore!"

No. No no no no no no no no no. This was not happening. This seriously, was _not_ happening. I was _not_ being told randomly_ in front of the frat guys_ that my _mother_ was a freakin' _porn star_.

"You were Glitzy Glute's _Diamond Girl_ for 8 years running! This is incredible, I must have your autograph!" Halle was gushing all over her while mom just shrank into herself.

"Momma?" It had to be some sick sick joke.

My mother was never a porn star! She couldn't have been!

"Mail, baby?" I knelt next to her and cradled her small frame in my arms, not caring if her mascara smudged across my shirt. "Sweetie I'm so sorry. You must be so ashamed of me…"

No…I had never seen her so vulnerable the way she just clung to me, shaking with sobs. She just kept saying over and over again that she was sorry. Cripes fucking Yoshi!

I'm the son of a porn star.

I'm the fuck baby of some film floozy.

And an apparently _famous_ on-screen whore to boot?

My father is probably some overly horny fucktard who calls himself _Big Dick Bob_ or some shit.

I spoke softly into her hair as I stroked her back lightly, "Mom, just tell me. Just tell me the truth."

She really has such a slight frame that it wasn't hard to lift her up off the floor and place her on the couch where she just stared at me all doe-eyed with black ink dripping down from her eyes. I saw Nate hand her a box of tissues and she cleaned her face a bit before blowing her nose. She'd lost all composure.

Nate coughed and spoke, "Maybe we should give the Jeevases a little privacy."

Halle protested a little violently, repeating that my mother was like her idol or some shit, but they dragged her away and everyone left us alone. Misa shut the door tight and left us to the most awkward silence that's ever existed between my mother and I.

"Mom?" Shit. Was I crying too?

"I'm sorry I never said anything, but really, there's never a right time to tell your child this kind of thing," She blew her nose loudly, "You already know that I ran away from home when I was eighteen, but I never told you the kind of work I did before you were born. It's true that I used to be in the porn industry. I was quite involved in it, actually. Magazines, movies, live exhibitions. I was the _Diamond Girl_, because they used to say that the only thing harder than diamonds was…well." She pointed to her crotch.

Umn, _eww_ mom?

"I had to quit to when I was pregnant with you. You came as quite a surprise and well, you can't sell a baby bump in _Play Boy_, I'll tell you that much."

"Mom, please tell me that my father wasn't some random co-star called Dr. Seducto or David Coppafeel."

She stared me straight in the eyes before replying, "Heavens no, sugar-dumpling! It was Nerdy Sam, the Joystick Wielder."

…

"Seriously?"

"No baby, I'm really joking with that." She smiled weakly at her bad joke. Yeah, NOT FUNNY MOM!

"I actually have no idea who your father is. We always used strict forms of birth-control on set and if it was someone I hooked up with at a bar, I must have been too drunk to remember it. I'm not proud of that, Mail. When you came into my life, I cleaned my life up a lot. I know I've never been able to give you all the things the better…more…whole families could have provided, but I loved you enough to walk away from everything and raised you the best I could."

I didn't say anything. What could I say? I mean, it was a long time ago and she's my mother! I just hugged her and pecked her forehead to show her that I wasn't ashamed. Shocked, I was absofuckly shocky, but not ashamed. I could never truly be ashamed of that woman.

Never.

I lit up right then and there. With all that I'd been through, I don't think all the cigarettes in the pack were going to be enough to calm me down.

Why does growing up have to be so damn complicated?

* * *

**A/N**: That was too fun to write. TOO FUN. I am rarely kind towards Near in my stories, but he is such a _good guy_ here, albeit somewhat OOC with teh perviness.

And there aren't a lot of people reviewing this story, but that's okay. You guys showered me with comments the first time around, after all, so I know you love me :D And the readership is rather high, I pay much attention to the hits numbers. Thank you guys for following me, even if it's silent for the most part. I get it and I'm not going to stop posting just because of lack of reviews or anything. But I'm sure more than a few of you might wonder,_ wellll if you have like the next six chapters already typed, why do we have to wait sooo long for chapters_? It actually has to do with that I've been damn shit busy trying to finish up my degree. Actually even though I _just graduated_, I _still_ have a paper due tomorrow XD. And because I love this story even _more_ than you guys do, I feel like it is my duty to make sure it's top quality. And that is what I have been doing. I have skeletal-chapters done for several arcs now and I am rearranging shit around so that you will love the story. No-holds-barred, this fic will maintain it's badassery all the way through. The changes thus far have been subtle ones. Sometimes I just agonize about a tiny phrasing change, but it certainly makes a difference to _me_, so I'm sorry about the lack of updates despite there being plenty of chapters already written. Let's see how I can balance shit out while I'm job hunting, yeah? I do love you so, my readers, even if I don't know who you are. You might...drop me a line and tell me? Or join our forum for MxM writing on Matti's website? (linked on ma profile).

ohhhhh ohhhh ohhhhh! Shall I start up a spoiler forum for this fic? I totally can! and then you guys can come join and talk about it with me, I'll tell you spoilers? yah? yeah?

I would just like to point out something really funny (IMO). Have you ever read Cosmopolitan magazine? I was never really interested in all that girly shit before, but I must say, the 'sex' articles are very much like reading a porno in some cases. Dirtier sometimes than the stuff we publish here. XD Idk, I find that really funny since it's not categorized by oh say AGE APPROPRIATENESS or anything like that ahaha. XD


	9. Chapter 8: NES, Part 2 (Mello POV)

Tearoom Chapter 8: NES, Part 2—"Near's Evasive Strategy, Part 2" (Mello POV)

A/N: I wish I could write a chapter from Near's POV but…I won't. *sigh* And I have to say this right now before I get my head bitten off. I adore Halle. I think she's uber badass. And my absolute favorite character of Death Note is and has always been L. I had to put those statements out there, because…well…just read the chapter, damnit. XD

As promised for part of my thank you for my wonderful fan art of Mello, this chapter has Mello and Matt playing DDR! Please enjoy to your heart's content ^^".

Disclaimer: Fictional UCLA is still _fictional_ UCLA lalalalalalalalalalala~ My descriptions of places are sorta based on real life but don't reflect actual shit. *first pump* Oh and I almost died. at UCLA. I nearly got electrocuted. O_O

* * *

"Halle, stop listening in on their conversation! Haven't you been disruptive enough?"

Misa grabbed the other blonde and pulled her away. But the door wasn't really hiding anything anyways. We could hear all the words Linda was saying to Mail. It was sad. Truth be told, I was slightly on edge/ The pair of them had as much to hide as any of us. Only it was nice that the drama was happening to someone _else_ for a change. It took my mind off of my sister and all the boredom that comes with Parents' Weekend.

I'll be damned but, the soap opera-like shit was _really_ entertaining.

And they may have stopped _Halle_ from pressing _her_ ear against the wall, but hell if _I_ wasn't gonna catch the ending.

Linda Jeevas's voice was drowned a bit by her nasally crying, "Mail. When you came into my life, I cleaned my life up a lot. I know I've never been able to give you all the things that better, more _whole_ families could have provided, but I loved you enough to walk away from everything and raise you the best I could."

I don't like feeling guilty. Really. Because fuck, I simply don't _give a shit_ enough about most people to go through guilt trips for them. But I already decided that I liked that woman. I think I have a soft spot for single mothers who put up with shit to raise their sons. And deep down I know I'm not the only one. If I've got any ESP connection to Nate, and I'll stake my leathers on that shit, then I know he's just as taken in by the little redheaded mother as I am.

"I'll never be ashamed of you, mom. "

Her _son_ was another matter altogether, though. Melodramatic much, Mail? It was beginning to get a little sappy like one of those telenovelas but I couldn't seem to really _leave_ from where my feet were rooted to the spot.

"Nothing matters more to me than my little ginger man."

Oh yeah, this was _so_ gonna get used for my little blackmail pleasure later. Guilt trip? I'm too perverse for that. And I guess everyone else was just as perverse as I because we were all eavesdropping soundlessly. Then Mail announced that he needed to light up and the door swung violently, hitting me with full force and knocking me to the floor. He's a little stronger than he looks. _My poor nose!_

"Mihael!"

Nate pulled me to my feet with a look of alarm as we all scrambled back a bit for the Jeevases. Mail was avoiding eye-contact with everyone. His goggles were pushed way up into his frazzled hair, exposing his glittering eyes. He wasn't even hiding the tears and somehow that was a little touching. Like a wounded puppy begging to be held. Trailing him was the equally disheveled Linda, mascara making little black rivers across her cheeks. Nate let go of my arm and retrieved a box of tissues from a drawer. He offered it to Mrs. Jeevas who accepted it with great embarrassment.

"You may use mine and Mihael's room to rest in until you've regained your composure," Nate offered without meeting the woman's eyes.

He can be awfully polite when he feels like it. _Sometimes._

"That's…that's very kind of you, Nate." Mail answered for her and the two hurried up the staircase and out of earshot.

It was like a collective breath released. I let myself fall into a chair and Misa put her head in her hands, shaking in disbelief. Only Halle looked completely unperturbed. She sat on the armrest of my chair, her long hair falling into my face. I puffed air out of my cheeks at it, blowing it out of my eyes and rounded on the blonde.

"Why?" I demanded of her.

She blinked at me in mock surprise, "You wouldn't understand. That woman really inspires me. She shouldn't be hiding away, dyeing her hair red and dressing like a mismatched grandma. She may have thrown her off her game a little, but I'm sure she'll bounce right up and show her true self."

"Halle, you need help." I threw my hands in the air, "I wash my hands of you, child. You are the most shameless person I've ever met."

"I wonder if she's still got the same bedroom skills." Halle voiced with the air of curiosity.

Oh _fuck no_. She did _not_ just dig herself a whole new level lower.

"Halle, you're an idiot." I turned towards her, crossing my arms, "This is low even for you and that's saying something. I absolutely forbid you getting near that woman."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and took and bent towards me, whispering in my ear, "Just what do you mean by that, Mihael? You're not my babysitter and I'm a grown woman. Asshole."

Oh she was asking for it. Seriously, Halle was beyond getting on my nerves. I had half a mind to wrap her up and give her to Wedy for a punching bag. The absolute _gall_ of that woman! I honestly believe that she didn't even understand the kind of damage she might have caused to that little family. And it was even more infuriating that she felt no sense of responsibility for it. What little respect I might have held for Halle was dead, buried, and six feet under.

Chick needed to be taught a lesson. Yet, to my great surprise, it was actually _Misa_ who put the whore in her place.

Misa walked across the room, smiled at me, and slapped Halle hard across the face, who then lost her balance and fell on her butt.

Misa yelled at her, "You're the worst! Have you lost your pride as a woman? I can't believe you can smile after what you've just done! After what you've just said!"

As if Halle couldn't sink _lower_, she brought up the most taboo subject she could.

"Pride as a woman?" the blonde snorted, "like you have any room to talk, little Miss _I'm-so-blinded-by-love-that-I-can't-tell-that-my-guy-is-a-flaming-homo!_ Wake up, Misa. You're the only one who seems oblivious to the fact that Light's screwing L. You're just for show and that's all you'll ever be!"

It was only conjecture, _really_, that Light and L were, well…involved. But if they were, it was discreet and hidden. I mean, yeah, there were little glances here and there between them, but Light Yagami had a little more pride than cheating behind his girlfriend's back. And in actuality, L was the one who set him up with Misa in the first place. It didn't make much sense to keep her as a puppet with Light if they were going for each other. That Light didn't really love Misa, was a given, but if he was with L, it would have made more sense to set Misa up with someone else, like A or Mikami. Regardless of the truth, Light's supposed infidelity was a taboo subject, _straight out_. And Halle knew it too. But she was acting more like a dog than a woman. And Misa's silent rage was building.

"Maybe those tiny tits and flat ass of yours just couldn't cut it for him. Are you that lousy that your guy couldn't even cheat on you properly with another woman, but had to go to a man too?"

"Misa's Raito would never shame himself like that! Raito is not a cheater! He's not a liar! He's _not_, damn it," the smaller blonde screamed, tears running down her cheeks.

And with that the Asian girl hurled herself at the larger woman, fists flying. The look in Misa's eyes was nothing short of feral. I didn't think Misa had it in her to do much damage, and unfortunately, Halle pinned her down easily. Misa kicked and scratched at her anyways. I looked sideways at Nate who only shrugged at me, the silent message being to simply not get involved. _Jesus_ girls are terrifying when they wanted to be.

The door clicked and a pair of feet shuffled into the room.

"Ladies! Ladies, please, this is not a bar for some half-drunken brawl." A cold voice came from behind.

Where the voice originated, L stood, rubbing one leg to the other of his jeans. Halle released Misa's hair and L moved closer towards the two women.

"Miss Lidner, I'm going to have to ask you to vacate the premises. You're making it very difficult for us to entertain our important guests. Please don't return. Your presence has garnered too many disturbances. I do not appreciate your perjurious comments against my co-president." L actually looked rather stressed.

"Perjuri-wha? Is that even a word? Stop trying to hide your homo-eroticism with your fancy words, L. You've had the hots for Light, right? I'm just trying to show little Miss Amane that she needs to own up to reali—"

"Neither Raito-kun, Misa, nor myself deserved to be subjugated to your perverse and fallacious accusations. I would never seduce someone who is in a committed relationship. You are disrespecting not only myself, but my friends, and I won't stand for it, Miss Lidner. You are a spiteful person who seems to feed on other people's dirty laundry, and you have the audacity to fabricate stories at whim. Leave before you further embarrass yourself."

Halle stood and rested one hand on her hip before spitting, yes, _actually spitting_ on L. The panda man froze. I think he was too shocked to react.

"Get out." I said.

This was already too embarrassing, for everybody.

"Mihael, I'm just telling it like it is. Sooner or later she was gonna—"

"Halle Lidner, get the fuck out of this house or God help me, I will finish what Misa started!"

I glared as hard as I could, grabbed a vase from the nearby table and sloshed it at her—daisies, water, and all. She gasped and wiped the water from her eyes, shaking like a furious drenched kitten. Wide-eyed and fearful, the woman backed towards the door, but not without a parting blow, "Good luck finding a replacement partner, Keehl! I'm done dancing with you, baby! Toodles."

Halle's damage was devastating. Fuck that woman! The competition was in two weeks and the Yagamis were still keeping Sayu off her feet. There wasn't anyone I could turn to. That…that fucking woman screwed me over big time! I couldn't believe it. Everything. Absolutely everything was blowing up in my face!

* * *

"I thought I'd find you here up on the roof."

"What can I say, I like the view," I shrugged.

"Last time I checked, the normal way to enjoy a landscape view was by having one's eyes open."

"I'll enjoy my view with eyes closed if I damn well want to." I grit my teeth.

Damn that Nate, always having to throw _reality_ into everything. I swear, he acts like my surrogate mother sometimes! I rolled on my belly and cracked my eyes open at him, since he didn't seem like he was leaving anytime soon.

"L wants us to fix up the whole fiasco with Linda Jeevas." He peered down on me.

"Yeah? Do we look like counselors? What does L expect us to do?"

"He said Takada could probably do something about it."

"I don't like her. She's like the personification of a man-hater."

"I know."

"So you take care of it. You're more girly that I am. She'll be less inclined to bite you."

I felt a shoe grace my ribs as Nate _actually kicked me_. Kicked _me!_

"I'm sorry, _you're_ the one who paints his fingernails pink and sings to Britney Spears in the shower, but _I'm_ the feminine one here? Excuse me, Mihael, I need to go inform Oxford and Webster that they've been defining the term 'girly' incorrectly for decades."

Damn him and his smart-ass logic! _Grrrr._

"Would you like some cheese with that whine? I've got better things to waste my brain cells over. You take care of it, sheep-bitch, before I reupholster that face of yours."

"Can't. I'm in charge of the baseball game we're having for the parents, remember? I didn't go out to buy that bat earlier for nothing."

Time to groan. "Make Mikami do it."

"Teru's participating. His mother is one of our guests, in case you've forgotten."

"What about A?"

"_Mihael._"

"Fine!" I picked up my cell phone and searched through my contacts before pulling up her name, "Hey Kiyome, can I meet up with you over a cup of coffee? No no, just business like usual. In twenty minutes? You're a doll. Thanks."

I closed the phone and my eyes, letting my hands rest behind my neck. "Done. I'll meet with the bitch in 20. Happy?"

"Quite."

I sat up and hugged my knees into my stomach, looking out over the red roof tiles to the street bellow. There were about thirty knockoff handbags lying in the grass adjacent to the building across the street. Okay, so maybe sorority row _was_ a shitty view. The Gamma Gamma Pi girls had all their patent leather pumps strung across their lawn like they were having a yard sale. And a drunk girl was hanging over the balcony. Shit, it wasn't even noon yet, talk about no restraint!

I turned my head to Nate to who hadn't left yet, but didn't seem inclined to keep the conversation going. My roommate simply stood there, gazing at the lack of landscape, curling a lock of white hair between his fingers. And suddenly it hit me. _I've_ always been the weak one between us, at least on the inside. Nate puts up with a lot of shit but always manages to keep his poise and to control the situation. I'm…I'm actually kind of jealous.

"Nate, why don't you hate me yet?"

He glanced down at me, a smile hinting at the corner of his lips, "and why would I hate you, Mihael?"

"Well for one, my father had your mother killed."

"Correction, Mihael, your sperm donor had _our mothers_ killed."

"Fine. That is a valid point. He killed them. But that alone should be enough for you to hate me. And you've been stuck with me ever since then. You may not outright say it, but I know you only stick around because of our promise. And you're losing the will to keep up the facade. You don't care as much as you used to. Once upon a time we clung together, really close, but we've drifted apart. We were even failures as lovers."

"I'm sorry."

"There you go again. What the effing hell are you apologizing for? You haven't done anything wrong. I'm the cause of all our friggin' problems."

"Well excuse me, it must have slipped my mind that the world revolves around you. Go on, continue victimizing yourself. I'll still be here when you decide to come back to reality."

"Hardee har har. Go fuck yourself, Nate."

"I can't hate you any more than you can hate me, Mihael. I'm your best friend. You couldn't hate me if you wanted to. You're just frustrated that I'm less needy than you."

"I think a change of major's in store for you. Why don't you drop music and pick up philosophy. I've never heard so much damn bullshit from you before."

"I love you too, Mihael."

"Yeah. Whatever. Drop dead."

"You'd cry if I died."

"I'd throw a party."

"You'd cry at the party."

"Shut up."

"Stop being macho." He grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. "You're the one who always says that real men stand up to their emotions. So stop running from yours."

"I hate you, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know. Now cut the crap out and hug me already. I know you need it and I'm tired of being on the roof already."

And that's exactly what I did. _Damn fucker_ knows me too well.

"Mihael, you're crushing my ribs. C-can't breathe."

"Good."

* * *

I ordered a fat-free soy mocha latte with foam and a chocolate muffin. The pastry was for me. The coffee for the bob-haired Asian woman sitting at my table. I brought her the drink and took a seat opposite in the booth. She clicked her manicured nails on the table and sized me over with her dark eyes.

"Well this is a rare treat to be called out by _Mihael Keehl_, and for coffee no less. To what do I owe to such an honor?" She sipped her java, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Can't I ask a beautiful woman to have a coffee with me?" I put on my sweetest fake smile for the bitch.

As predicted, she wasn't biting the bait, the whore.

"I can't stand you any more than you can me, Mihael, so why don't we cut the pleasantries and get down to business?"

"In that sense, we are of a like mind, Kiyome. Alright. Allow me to relay situation. I've got a reformed ex-porn star turned painter. She's the mother of a student. She's got years of experience behind camera. Knows names, contacts, and even more, was apparently a real headliner. You can't get more insider details than that, and she's all yours for the interviewing."

Takada's eyes practically dilated, "And you're just giving her to me? No strings attached?"

"She's Mail Jeevas' mother. We want to use this as a double opportunity to show our support of powerful women like her, and you may promote her as you wish. But we'd hope you could paint as something of a martyr."

I could see the Japanese woman's mental cogs turning. I may not like her, but she's quite skilled at what she does.

"Alright. I can see it now. I'll get Misa to help me design posters. We'll make it an open seminar. Mrs. Jeevas can talk about her experiences in the legal sex trade. We can't make her look like a victim. I have to coach her on her speech to ensure that she comes across as a strong, self-propelling woman. She can talk about self-image and project the will of the working woman. I can call in some professors from a few other departments to see if they'd be willing to work with her on publishing tracks. This is no small matter." Some of her coffee sloshed out as she roughly slammed the cup on the table.

"Hey, at $5.40 a cup, that coffee aint cheap." I scolded.

"Shut up, that's the price of free trade goods. Go complain to the global studies department if you want coffee that's been milled by children and sold for pennies a kilo."

"It tastes the same. I don't see why I have pay triple for it. I don't need the organic crap."

"Have some environmental conscience, Keehl."

"Uh-huh. Try talking to my wallet about this 'conscience' thing. So about Linda Jeevas. Where shall I send her and when?"

"I'll text you the info once I've got a place and people to meet her with."

I bit my muffin. Shit tasted stale.

"Right. Sounds good. Let's not be in each other's company longer than we have to, shall we?"

"Agreed."

She stood up and picked up her coat, "Oh and Mihael?"

"That's my name. Don't moan it when you've got your fingers on your clit."

Oh. _Oh damn_. She turned almost as red as Mail's hair. _Score!_ Few things I like more than frazzling prudish women. Hell yeah! She had to clear her throat before she could speak again.

"I cannot _believe_ your vulgarity! And just when I was going to give you a genuine compliment too! You're nothing but a walking perversion."

"Any time sweetie." I blew a raspberry at her retreating figure.

I tossed the muffin in the trash. It was time to go looking for Mail.

* * *

I found Mail in the arcade, sitting on a makeshift Sea Do and racing.

"Mail, can we talk for a bit?"

"Nnn."

"Mail, I said I need to talk to you."

"Just a sec."

I blinked. I was being completely ignored. What the fuck was so interesting about that damn video game that anyone could ignore_ me_? I glanced towards the screen. Ah. _Right._ I was competing for his attention with the _busty half-naked anime girls_. Hmmn…I could play at that. Mail needed a reminder that reality could be so much more _sensual_. And that _nobody_ ignores_ me!_

"Mail," I purred.

"Uh-huh."

"Are you listening to me?"

"Going for a high score."

High score? _Fuck, I'll give you a high score, Jeevas._ After a quick glance to make sure no one else was paying attention, I inched right behind him and squeezed one shoulder, shoving my other hand directly into his jeans.

I ghosted my fingers against his crotch as I whispered into the crook of his neck, "If I said I want your body now, would you hold it against me?"

His boat crashed and the game flashed a giant **You Lose** sign. I had Mail's full attention.

He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing as he struggled to speak, "Uh…so you're a Britney fan, Mihael? That's umn…interesting."

Why was everyone questioning my music taste today? _Ignoring me_ and _then_ ragging on Britney. Nnnn, Mail, you were being a bad boy today. I pulled my hand out of his jeans and stepped back completely. Hey, all I needed was his attention. I had no obligation to finish what I started. He could sit there all horny and panting and _deal with it._

"I don't like being ignored," I flashed him my pearly whites and crossed my arms.

Aww this was fun. He just sat there all frustrated, eyes pleading with me and I stood still like the cold-hearted bitch I love to be. I gave Mail a moment to calm down before relaying to him the true reason I'd tracked him down.

"We need to talk about this morning."

He made a little wheezing noise before frowning and dipping his head, "We made a spectacle and you guys are kicking me out of the frat. I know. I wish _you_ hadn't been the one to tell me though."

The fuck? Yeah, Mail was definitely the melodramatic kind of guy.

"No, you've got it all wrong. You're a brother of the sacred Triangle of Justice. We've got your back."

"Triangle of Justice? L-O-L, dude! You make it sound like a triforce. Pfft."

"A tri-what? And who the hell says the acronym for laugh out loud—out loud?"

"Sorry. I'm just…yeah, I'll stop now. Continue?"

"Your mom needs to go to Skelter Hall, room 246b at 4:30 PM. Takada's going to meet her there with some representatives from the Women's Studies Office. They're going to turn this situation around from being embarrassing, to something empowering. I've seen those feminist extremists at work; they're miracle workers."

"Takada? _Kiyome Takada?_ Are you sure that's such a great idea? That girl makes me feel like I've done something wrong even when I'm sitting still."

"Yeah I know what you mean, but trust me. Everything will get taken care of. Don't sweat it."

"Alright. Umn. Mihael. You…you don't feel weird about the whole thing? I mean about my mother and all?

I snorted and punched him on the shoulder, "Don't worry about stupid things."

"Right. I have another question."

"Nn?"

"You really confuse me, you know," the boy ran his fingers through his hair and looked me square in the eye, "What do you want with me, exactly? We have sex, but then you don't let me kiss you. You're not gay but you gave me a blow job and you even said you're up for having sex with me again. You're sending me too many mixed signals here. I mean, you just stuck your hand down my pants and then acted like nothing. I guess what I want to know is…well, are you just playing with me? Where do I stand with you? Is there or isn't there an _us_? "

Ah. _That._ Well I'm glad he brought it up, because I suppose we'd have to have this conversation at some point.

I cocked my head to the side, "I'll make myself clear then. I like you, because you're honest. But I'm not the sentimental type. I'm not looking for attachment or exclusivity. I just like to have fun and do whatever feels good at the time. That's what I'm about. If you want in on that, you're welcome to it."

The crestfallen little redhead just nodded, "I don't know if I'm up for that."

"Yeah? Your loss."

Talk about awkward. I think I just chased my potential sex friend away. Bad move? Probably. Time for a subject change.

"So what's the appeal of these games? Aside of the blood and soft-porn, I mean."

He laughed. That was good. Laughing was good, right?

"I guess you have to have it ingrained in you. Some people are born to game. Others just aren't. Hey I know one that's right up your alley, though. Care to play a round with me?"

"Uhh…"

"Oh c'mon. What are you, chicken? It's Dance Dance Revolution. You should be king at that. Or do you think I'll beat you?"

I scoffed, "Are you saying you can dance better than me? Shove it, Jeevas. I'm gonna wipe that smile right off your face."

"Bring it, Keehl. But if I win, you gotta finish that hand job you started earlier."

Jeeze. _Horny much?_

"Whatever. But when I win, you gotta do my Frat chores for a week. _And_ I'm on cleaning duty starting tomorrow, bitch."

"The hell? A whole week?"

"Hope you're good with a toilet brush, _Mr. Ginger Man._"

"Oh real mature, bringing up my mother's pet names. Let's get this competition on!"

We moved to a game with two sets of bars around floor pads with arrows. Mail popped some quarters in and fiddled with the screen, selecting a song. The floor lit up like a disco ball on steroids. I swear, the color scheme was either designed by some flower power 60's nut or someone trippin' on acid.

"Now, let's evacuate this dance floor!"

Okay, so _maybe_ this game was a little harder than I thought it'd be. I couldn't really freeform my rhythm. Those arrow things were harder to follow with my feet than even with my eyes. Up. Up. Up. Right. Down. Jump. _Shit._ And there went my footing!

"Harder than you thought, Mihael?"

"Shut up. You're going down, Jeevas."

"It's Mail, bitch."

"And now you're just mocking me. Leave Britney alone! But if you think you can pole dance half as well, go ahead."

He actually was better that I could have guessed. Who'd have guessed that nonathletic Mail could pull off those kinds of moves? He was practically break dancing! And hitting all those damn arrows to boot. I had to admit I was really impressed. Slamming on the floor with his elbows, hands, vaulting off the poles. It was time to kick this up a notch. Since, I was obviously going to lose if I played fair.

No one said I couldn't use _dirty dancing_.

I dropped to the floor in splits, completely disregarding the little sprite character I was supposed to emulate. I slid my body a little, breaking into a spread eagle before flicking my back up like a snake and thrusting my chest forward. I swung my arms out in front, letting gravity fling my jacket right off my body and sling off my shoulders in one fluid motion as I snapped back up into a standing position. Coolest fucking way to remove your outerwear. Try it, I swear you'll have an audience even in an empty room.

And judging by the way Mail had stopped dancing and had his eyes glued to me, I could tell that my little ploy to distract him was working magically.

"Kyaaaah! You're so cool!" I heard a feminine voice from behind me.

I snapped my head in the direction of the squealing to see not one, not two, but _seven blushing girls_, gawking at me with flushed faces. Yeah. I call a crowd wherever I go. I never get tired of being incredibly sexy and knowing how to flaunt it.

Since I had an extended audience, I decided to give them a _real_ memorable show. I threw my hands to my chest and began teasing my fingers closer and closer to the hem of my pants as I did the bunny strut. Yes, I can do the _fucking bunny strut_. Popped and dropped, my ass had it going on. _Wiggle to the left and tutt it_, bitch.

And then the music cut. I slipped sideways and had to grab onto the bar to avoid falling out of the mini platform, but I had too much inertia and ending up colliding painfully with the poll. As in, I slammed my groin right into it and the shit fucking smarted!

I looked around to see the white-haired mollycoddler standing near the outlet, the game's power cord in his hand.

"Nate! Why'd you unplug it? I was winning."

"You were dry humping the pole. In public. If you wanted to be a burlesque dancer, at least do it right. You should have charged these people for viewing."

Asshole had a smile on his face. _Damn him._

But Mail was laughing his literal ass off.

"Oh my Pasta! That's rich!" the gamer was beet red with all his chuckling.

And then I was dropped from being the center of attention as Nate moved onto Mail, sizing him up curiously.

"Mail, you can dance?"

The redhead shook his head. "Well…not like dance-dance, just, y'know video game dancing. I just kind of transfer some skate tricks to how the game has you move and voila."

"You can ride a skate board?" I questioned, dumbfounded.

"Well," he scratched his head. "Not exactly. See when the old Tony Hawk game came out I had to learn—"

"Okay we get it. Don't explain. I just wanted a simple answer. This is really interesting." Near said before turning his attention to me again, "Mihael, I have an idea. A brilliant idea."

I didn't like the mischievous grin that the albino bitch was wearing.

"Uh-huh. And what's you're idea, Nate?"

"Mihael. I'm your best friend, right?"

"Friend is a _strong word_, fucker."

"I'm your roommate, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm your _manager,_ right?"

"I guess. Where is this going, Nate?"

"And you _trust me_, right?"

"What the hell is this, Oprah? Jesus! You're like my fucking mother, damn it. I live with you, I trust you with my life. We're practically married siblings. Just what the hell are you getting at?"

"Just getting a little reassurance at how you weigh my judgment. Okay, I have an idea. Mihael." He stared at me intensely.

"What? Out with it already!"

"Drop out of the competition."

Dr..._Drop out_. Of the completion. The one _I fucking slept with Halle for_ just so I could have a partner because Sayu was injured! The. Fucking. Hell?

"Are you out of your robot-sucking mind? This is one of the biggest competitions of the year. People get scouted during this kind of gig. I can't _just drop out_."

"But you can't dance alone, right?"

"Stop being a logical, bitch."

I was _sooo not listening to this_. Nope. Nuh-uh.

"Just listen to me for a moment, okay. I'm having a rare moment of truly inspired genius, here. And it's to the benefit of all of us. Mail, too."

I shouted, "Fuck you!"

"I'll throw out my Transformer's poster!"

_Ehhhh?_ Nate loved that thing. And I _hated_ it. Okay, if nothing else, I get the damn picture of _Megan Fox_ out of our room. Bitch did bad things for my ego.

"Alright, I'm listening." And yeah, I was.

"Mail, you don't have to feel indebted to us for what we're going to do about cleaning up your mom's reputation. You're going to show your gratitude by entering the International Ballroom Competition with Mihael—"

I didn't even have to point out the logic flaw in that because Mail cut him off, "Nate, I think you've got a few screws loose there, buddy. I'm no dancer. And—"

But Nate cut him off right back, "Shut up a minute and let me finish before you blow me off."

I suddenly wanted a bowl of popcorn. _Buttery_ popcorn.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. It's in six months. There's plenty of time to get ready for it. And with the song I have planned, the choreography will be fresh, hip, different from anything the other competitors will even dream of using."

Seriously. Nate _usually_ has an extremely clear head. He thinks things through really thoroughly. _This time_ he was falling short by miles.

"If that's the case, why can't I just enter with Sayu?"

"Location."

"Location?"

"Where's this bid being held then?"

"Palestine."

Oh. _Oh dear God_. I swear, someone was conspiring against me.

I didn't need any more explanation than that to know what Nate was silently telling me.

* * *

"L!"

I slammed my fists on the table, disturbing the silver tea service. I didn't care. I felt sick watching the dark haired man as he calmly ate his strawberry shortcake.

"L! How did you set this up?"

"Set what up, Mihael?" he didn't even look me in the eye. He just sopped up some of the spilt tea with a napkin. "It's always more conducive to speak in full expository sentences when relaying information to another. Now what is the problem?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. Nate just proposed that I take Mail, who has no dance experience whatsoever, as my partner for the International Ballroom Competition."

"That is an interesting idea. I wonder why he would make such a suggestion."

"It's almost always held in Europe. But the next is going to be held in a rather curious place. Do you know where the IBC is being held this year, L?"

"Enlighten me."

"Israel."

"Ah." Fucker smiled. Smiled!

"Yeah, _ah_." I was fuming.

"Nate thought of all that, did he? I'm rather impressed. It's a wonderful plan. A convenient location, wouldn't you agree?"

"Convenient, my ass! This cannot be a coincidence!"

"I swear to that God you believe in that I had no hand in this, Mihael. I cannot, however, vouch for Beyond and Wedy who may have used their great network of contacts to move the location to one that suits our purpose. Money can do a great deal in this world, as I'm sure you know."

"Yeah but why me? Why my dance competition? Why Mail? He's not even involved in this shit!"

I allowed myself to slump into a chair. Honestly, I could have punched L right then and there. He still wasn't looking me in the eye.

After a pause, he answered, "I'm sure it was a given that you'd compete. As I recall, you placed in fourth last year which means you have automatic re-entry for this year. The time is favorable. It's a perfect cover for a handful of us moving into that country at once. It shouldn't arouse any suspicion. Most of all, the publicity of _you_ and _your face_, will draw Rod out like a moth to the flame."

I breathed out, "You're using me as bait."

"It sounds so droll when you word it that way."

"Fine. I get it, already. You're forcing me into this no matter what. But why the fuck do you have to drag Mail into this shit? I understand Nate because, yeah this involves him just as much as it does me, but Mail?"

"Why do you care how we operate, as long as we get the job done?"

"He's got nothing to do with it! We shouldn't have to involve outsiders."

"Does that mean I have your cooperation?"

_Fuck._

"Maybe. Drop Mail's portion of the work from the itinerary, and maybe. Yeah."

Shit. I felt like I was bargaining with the devil himself.

"I'm sorry Mihael, but we need him. "

"Sure thing, genius. Because Mail's totally got a resume that promotes him as a stellar criminal. What makes you so damn confident that he can do your hacks? What makes you _so fucking sure_ that we're not in over our heads. We just normal civilians!"

L smiled, finally looking right at me. "Hacking is a basic skill that most of the computer science majors have, and if they lack the ability to create their own programs for it, most of them are rather adept at using and transforming existing codes into whatever they wish. Mail's…shall we say, _gifted_ at the latter. I know because we had him checked out. If you doubt me, why don't you ask him about a little incident he had in middle school."

Unbe-_fucking_-lievable.

"You're saying…he has the _potential_, then? You're gambling this away on an inexperienced kid who only just _might_ be able to pull it off? Is there cocaine in that cake? You're putting our lives at risk, here!"

"Oh ye of little faith."

"Don't quote the Bible at me, you damned heretic."

"Mihael, Mihael, Mihael. "

"Three crows and you've betrayed me."

"You're not Jesus."

"Then why are you trying to crucify me?"

At this, L burst out laughing.

"There are two ways we could go about this. Did you know Mrs. Jeevas is an artist? We can have her ruined. We can make it so no gallery in their right business mind would buy or showcase her paintings. Or there's the simple way. We can do this diplomatically. I'm sure Mail can be persuaded quite easily."

"And just what are you going to tell him? I'm _sure_ he's just gung-ho about risking mother-effing life _just_ because you ask him to."

"You're right. I doubt I have that kind of power over him. But there's someone else who, in time, _will_ have that kind of persuasion. I'm a very good judge of character. In time, Mail will become like Misa, willing to bend over backwards at any request. That is, _for the one he falls head over heels in love with_."

"Are you high?" I stared.

He stabbed his cake with his fork, "_You,_ Mihael. I'm telling you to use your sex appeal to your limits and groom him to you. Six months from now, he should be purring into your hand."

This was pushing the danger zone. _Big time._

"I'm not Light, you bastard. I don't play with people's emotions for show."

"You'll do it if you don't want to lose the most important person to you."

"Tch. You're a little late for that, L. I've already lost the most important person to me."

"Ah yes, but don't you need someone to keep that memory of her alive? Or would you be perfectly fine if something were to suddenly happen to Nate River?"

_Fuck._ "You really are a chess master, L."

"I don't leave loopholes, Mihael. I've got this planned at least six steps ahead of you."

"Fuck you."

"I've got Raito-kun for that, thank you."

"You really _are_ a contrary fucker, you know that L? Just _what_ are you? Do you have any sense of conscience at all?"

"Of course I have a conscience. But I gave it to Beyond to hold to for safe keeping."

Mental face palm. Frsrs.

"Just how much of the crap that comes out of your mouth is a lie?"

"I'd say that of anything I tell you, the chances of it being a falsehood is 64%."

I let my head fall into my hands. I know playing with fire only gets you burned, but really, it wasn't like I had another choice.

"Fine, L. You have my complete and utter cooperation. But mark my words, I _will_ find a way to screw you over in the end."

The panda man bowed his head low and almost snarled, "_Try me_."

I stood up, left the kitchen and paced into the hallway, kicking the wall.

This was lame. Grade school even. Especially for me. Not to mention that it was backtracking on the words I'd said to Mail earlier. But well, L had me backed into a corner.

I pulled out my cell phone and flipped it open, choosing my words very carefully as I created the new message. I could groan at how corny it was, but I guess there was no helping it. Doing this by text message meant I couldn't escape things like that. I selected Mail as the recipient of the message and clicked the send button.

I sincerely hoped I wouldn't regret it later.

* * *

A/N: Before you ask, yes, Halle wants to fuck Matt's mom. No it's not happening. We good? Good.

But damn, you gotta question Near's motives at this point. Was he being honest with all those things he told Matt about wanting Mello to be independent and fall in love and stuff? Or was he really just setting pieces to manipulate him at L's wishes? What do you guys think? Who's the real person getting double-crossed in this game? Too many overlapping lies!

So what do you think Mello texted to Matt? I never wrote the text message contents into the original chapter that comes after this, but I think I'll do it now. I don't like the next chapter very much so I'm rewriting it.

Ohhh, I'll be putting out a one-shit for MelMat's birthday in a few days and another story in a week for ShinigamiMailJeevas' birthday. Keep your eyes out for those, yeah?

*blows kisses* I love you all :3

-Holly


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